Cooperation Large End Users and Consumers on Smart Grid Zaanstad

Posted on October 11, 2013 by jan_schreuder

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The Municipality of Zaanstad and the surrounding region are seriously working on implementing ‘smart grid modelling’, in which electricity and (residual) heat are connected. It is a joint project of businesses, housing associations, investors and network company Alliander.  Participants from the (semi-) public sector include the municipality of Zaanstad, the province of North Holland and the Zaanstad Medical Center.

On  Sustainability Day (10 October) as many as 20 parties agreed to explore the possibilities for such an open and smart energy grid. Early next year the results are to be presented.

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e-mobility and e-harbours

Posted on October 10, 2013 by jan_schreuder

The international conference of the Emobility-NSR project drew a large audience to Haarlem (NL). One of the topics discussed was the set of drivers for large scale implementation of EV. In keywords: psychology of the end user, taxes, direct incentives & local solutions. Barriers for upscaling EV seem to be: out of pocket costs, too little charging facilities and grid restraints,

The e-harbours project added value by adressing the flexibility of the car’s battery as a commodity. Imagine what 200.000 EV’s in 2020 in the Netherlands could do!

Staff exchange Hamburg – Malmö

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Daniel Skog

Staff exchange Hamburg Malmö 130829During late August a delegation from City of Malmö visited Hamburg University of Applied Science to learn more on the findings of the e-harbours project in Hamburg.

Hans Schaefers and Philipp Wellbrock, from Hamburg University of Applied Science held presentations on the German energy system and the changes it is going through in general and the e-harbours showcase in specific.

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Study on hydrogen use and power-to-gas potentials in the Hamburg harbour

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Daniel Skog

hydrogenstudy_graph1One focus of the e-harbours showcase in Hamburg is to examine how a surplus of wind energy occurring in the north of Germany could be used in a smart way. A concept that has been increasingly discussed over the last years is called power-to-gas: Producing hydrogen through electrolysis, and feed it into the gas grid. However, especially in harbour regions, there is also a direct demand for hydrogen – why not combine these two aspects? This approach is discussed in a recently published report by the e-harbours Hamburg team.

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‘Smart grids are essential for sustainable growth’ says Dutch Energy Agreement

Posted on August 28, 2013 by jan_schreuder

fotoepSosdeThe Dutch government has a made a first step towards a national Energy Agreement, that is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders. Not only Dutch governmental agencies participated in the negotiations, but also industry, labour unions and environmental groups.  The agreement proposes a framework to analyse the opportunities and threats for the Dutch trade and industry arising from climate change, the rising cost of energy, and the growing demand for fossil fuels worldwide. It aims to pave the path for sustainable growth in the Netherlands – a much needed initiative, since the country lags behind most other European nations in the field of renewables.

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Answers to the Carbon Economy

Posted on August 1, 2013 by jan_schreuder

logoAce2Answers to the Carbon Economy (ACE), a research program supported by Interreg IV, investigates themes that are very close to the e-harbours program, and promises to develop valuable insights in the transition towards a sustainable economy. Anyone interested in the debate about sustainable city development and sustainable business parks (main features of the e-harbours conference Energy Matters in Zaanstad) will find a thought-provoking research program on the ACE website.

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E-harbours Malmö showcase on BBC

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Daniel Skog

BBCWorld_MalmoSmartHomesLast winter BBC World Horizons visited Malmö to see smart energy systems and visit the Malmö e-harbours showcase Smart Homes. In the video report that was broadcasted worldwide in May the BBC team are impressed by smart grid solutions presented by E.ONs Jakob Holmström. Via an iPad the residents of the Smart Homes can monitor and control their energy consumption and charging of electric vehicles.

Watch the BBC World Horizons video report here » (Skip to 6.19)

Round Table on “Intelligent energy solutions for the Hamburg Harbour”

Posted on May 29, 2013 by jan_schreuder
RoundtableHamburgmay2013On May 23rd, the Hamburg Team of e-harbours organised a Round Table on “Intelligent energy solutions for the Hamburg Harbour” in the historic harbour district of the city. Around 35 participants from industry, power suppliers, independent consultants and public institutions discussed the potentials and limitations of smart grids, demand side management and combined generation in the Hamburg harbour and beyond.

Eurovision Song Contest goes e-harbours

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Daniel Skog
Eurovision journalists from Estonian TV, Dutch magazines and German newspapers gets a guided tour in the e-harbours showcase.

Eurovision journalists from Estonian TV, Dutch magazines and German newspapers gets a guided tour in the e-harbours showcase.

When to Eurovison Song Contest 2013 was hosted in Malmö we of course decided to highlight the e-harbours project to all journalists visiting the city. Special bicycle tours to the Western Harbour and e-harbours showcase were offered to journalists through the official prerss centre of Eurovision. We also arranged guided tours in the Malmö showcase Smart Homes for extra interested journalists, in total about 30 journalists took the opportunitiy to learn more about the project.

 

REloadIT prizewinner: Alliander Innovation Award

Posted on April 20, 2013 by jan_schreuder

The largest Dutch network operator Alliander rewarded the e-harbours team with the 2013 Innovation Award. Many thanks! Read more here (Dutch).

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