enerPort: Efficient energy supply for inland ports

How can inland ports be further developed as urban districts in terms of the challenges posed by the energy transition? This question was at the heart of the project "enerPort – Sector coupling and efficient energy supply for inland ports using the example of the Port of Duisburg." Key feature of the project: The aim was not to develop individual measures for specific objects or companies, but rather to find solutions for the holistic transformation of the port. A cross-industry approach to sector coupling between the energy industry and production, logistics, urban space and mobility was pursued in order to create cross-cutting synergies and fully exploit the potential of the locations.

There are more than 170 inland ports in Germany. What makes them special is that, in addition to national and international freight transport and logistics companies, other industrial companies and commercial areas are also located in the ports. Furthermore, due to their proximity to residential areas, inland ports are increasingly responsible for contributing to an attractive living environment.

Above all, however, inland ports are of great importance to the national economy and contribute to economic development and value creation in the regions: Both end consumers and processing companies are reached via the ports. Inland ports connect the transport of goods by road, rail, and waterways.

Against this backdrop, individual measures to increase energy efficiency and increase the proportion of renewable energies in ports that have been implemented on a property or company basis to date fall short of the mark, as they ignore the existing synergy potential. A more promising approach is to see inland ports as urban areas with their own requirements profile and great development potential with a view to the energy transition.

Within the framework of "enerPort", solution concepts for decentralized energy supply were therefore developed as an essential component for achieving climate protection goals in ports. Using the example of the Port of Duisburg, the project demonstrated how inland ports can be further developed to meet the upcoming challenges of the energy transition.

One of the project results is a meta-study that provides both a categorization of inland ports and an overview of previous research and implementation projects. At its heart is the so-called port quartet. It reflects the diversity of German inland ports and uses the example of 31 ports to show the range of energy-related characterization features that need to be taken into account – from neighborhood connections and modality (connections to water, road, and rail transport routes) to the potential for photovoltaics and wind power to the distance to the nearest gas and hydrogen pipelines.

The project also developed transformation concepts for the sustainable energy supply of inland ports using various balance areas in the Port of Duisburg as examples. These concepts are characterized by different combinations of technologies, which were evaluated within the project using multiple criteria and in terms of their robustness with regard to various scenarios for the development of external boundary conditions. Finally, the planned operating modes of the facilities included in the concepts were further optimized mathematically.

In parallel, a typology for describing inland ports has been developed. It takes into account factors such as storage structures and the business landscape and distinguishes, for example, between commercial ports and specialized ports. The typology provides guidance when considering the transferability of already developed transformation concepts for a local energy transition to other inland ports. The methodology developed was summarized in a "Process overview to support the energy transition of inland ports" to facilitate the transfer of results to other locations.

• Duisburg Hafen AG