Hydrogen is perfect in a port environment
When the Port of Gothenburg needed electric excavators, without running cables from the regular electricity grid, hydrogen became the solution. The technology means that it is possible to electrify in places where there is no extended current. Instead, the batteries are charged from the energy contained in the green hydrogen gas delivered in a container by Linde Gas. The hydrogen is then converted into electricity in a mobile hydrogen generator from Hitatchi Energy, with PowerCell Group providing the power modules and fuel cell integration know-how. With the help of the generator, the electric excavator can carry out the work in the new port area of Arendal 2, without the support of the fixed power grid.
Arendal 2 is the largest port expansion in the Port of Gothenburg since the 1970s. Emission-free excavation work is tested here using an electric excavator that receives electricity via a hydrogen generator. Image: Port of Gothenburg AB.
The Port of Gothenburg’s goal is to reduce port-related CO2 emissions by 70 percent, from Vinga out to sea, up to and including the entire Gothenburg area on the land side. A major focus is on creating the conditions for the conversion of shipping and land traffic through fossil-free infrastructure and access to a mix of alternative fuels. The electric excavator is from AB Volvo and is used in one of the port’s major infrastructure projects, Arendal 2, where 140,000 square meters of new terminal space is being created in the outer harbors of the Port of Gothenburg.
Hydrogen has a greenhouse gas-reducing potential in all these parts. This is what Viktor Allgurén, who is head of innovation at Göteborgs Hamn AB, says in a press release:
– In a mixed and energy-intensive operation such as a port, there are many areas of use. It can be as fuel for trucks, locomotives or handling equipment in the terminals, for the propulsion of ships, or to support the electricity grid when a ship is connected to electricity at the quay. So the use of hydrogen fits perfectly into the port context.
