Micha Hes

AEB Amsterdam, Port of Amsterdam, Senfal and Energy eXchange Enablers will jointly supply ship-to-shore power to river cruise and inland navigation vessels. The pilot project is intended to promote the use of sustainable, locally generated power in the port and to reduce costs.

The participation of AEB Amsterdam is an important step for the ship-to-shore power project, as it means that a producer of sustainable energy is directly involved in the pilot project. This mirrors the port’s ambitions: to supply locally generated sustainable electricity to customers in the port.

Information from Port of Amsterdam on the use of berths and arrival times for vessels based on self-learning software, developed by the company Senfal, is linked to a digital market place for electricity. Entrnce, as this trading platform from Energy eXchange Enablers (EXE) is called, provides a direct link between the producer of electricity and the customer.

Shore power stations make it possible for river cruise and inland navigation vessels to switch off their diesel generators at the quay. They will use the sustainable power grid, meaning no emissions are released at the site concerned. The pilot project will increase the use of sustainable power in the port, allow costs to be reduced, and also provide improved matching of fluctuations in sustainable energy supply and demand.

AEB Amsterdam is the largest supplier of sustainable energy in the Amsterdam region. “We are able to optimise supply because we produce both electricity and heat,” says the strategic adviser Peter Simoës. “Whenever there is a peak in demand for sustainable electricity, we can increase production slightly by temporarily supplying less heat to our buffer, and vice versa. This cushion makes better matching of supply and demand possible and offers scope for supplying more solar or wind energy to the port, for instance.”

Robin Schipper, commercial manager Circular & Renewable Industry at Port of Amsterdam: “This pilot project provides us with very significant insights for preparing our port for the energy market of the future. In the future, you want to be able to source local sustainable energy even if there is no wind or the sun is not shining. A range of smart applications is used in this pilot project that will reduce costs for the businesses in the port area. We are aiming for green for the price of grey!”

Ambitions

The transition to more sustainable and local sources requires new market models. This pilot project, launched on the basis of the Clean Capital alliance and partly funded by the European demonstration project City-zen, is a good example of this kind of market model; locally generated energy is used locally without the interposition of a traditional electricity supplier. In tandem with innovative parties such as Senfal and EXE, it is possible to make the transition to the smart and sustainable energy network of the future.

Port of Amsterdam wants to link a wind farm and solar panels directly to users as well in the near term. The EXE trading platform also offers small producers an opportunity to enter the market and optimise trading between them. The software from Senfal is able to match electricity supply and demand, creating a single system. This steps up the innovation and sustainability of the pilot project even further to provide a genuine example of a local sustainable energy network.

We are excited to invite you to the Award Event of the Amsterdam Circular Challenge at Prodock Amsterdam on September 27. The event marks the highlight of the 3 circular challenges set by Clean Capital: Biomass Feedstock, CO2 Feedstock and Digital Solutions. Will you join us? Please register here.

At the event, the 6 finalist startups get the opportunity to rock the stage and share their vision with an audience of industry experts in the Amsterdam circular economy. Next to that, you will have the opportunity to deep-dive into one of the challenges during a workshop with the startups, experts of the partnering organisations and other participants from the Amsterdam circular economy ecosystem.

The jury led by Jacqueline Cramer, will select and award the three start-ups that have the best solution for one of the circular challenges in Amsterdam. The three winners will be offered free working facilities, resources, support and coaching, digital data and access to the network of CleanCapital and the city of Amsterdam.

Program details:
14:30 – 15:00 Open doors & registration
15:00 – 15:10 Opening & interview with directors of Clean Capital
Jeroen de Swart, director AEB Amsterdam
Roelof Kruize, director Waternet
Koen Overtoom, director Port of Amsterdam
15:10 – 15:30 Keynote speech by Pieter van Os, Reversed Concepts
15:30 – 16:00 Startups’ pitches
16:00 – 16:20 Keynote speech by Marieke van Nood, AEB Amsterdam
16:20 – 16:30 Break
16:30 – 17:15 Parallel Workshops per Theme Challenge
17:15 – 17:30 Award Ceremony with the jury members:
17:30 – 18:30 Networking & drinks

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Amsterdam is an urban mine for start-ups in the circular economy. There are plenty of opportunities to turn materials, emissions and data into valuable business. If you have a bright innovative idea or solution that meets the challenges of Amsterdam, do apply for this challenge before 1 September!

We select the best six ideas/solutions and invite them to pitch during the Amsterdam Circular Challenge Event on 27 September. The three winners are offered free working facilities, resources, support and coaching, digital data and access to the network of CleanCapital and Amsterdam: It’s all waiting there for you!

Challenge 1 – Biomass Feedstock
The port of Amsterdam is a hub for urban & inter regional waste streams. We are looking for innovative technologies and processes that turn biomass residues & waste into valuable feedstock. With a business model that can be economical in less than 5 years. Click on the video for more information about this challenge.

Challenge 2 – CO2 Feedstock
Amsterdam provides carbon dioxide, available from waste incineration & water treatment, at 99,9% purity. We’re interested in technologies that can harvest and convert this to be used for products & industrial processes, or upgrade its purity for potential users. Combinations with hydrogen gas or other fuels are welcome. Click on the video for more information about this challenge.

Challenge 3 – Digital Solutions
Industry & society become increasingly data-driven. We’re looking for startups that make use of data, connectivity and smart algorithms as a basis for circular economy products, -services & -infrastructure. By mining existing data from the city operators and big data sources or by implementing sensors, machine learning or artificial intelligence. Click on the video for more information about this challenge.

The winners of this challenge will gain priority access to materials, data sources, coaching & funding to winning teams. Clean Capital is providing flexible co-working space for 3 months, which allows 2 members of your team to align with experts, business representatives or authorities. You will receive mentorship from the Clean Capital network during that period. You will get free samples of feedstock materials or data-sources to validate your technology; and priority access afterwards to implement and scale your business in Amsterdam once proven. Mentors will assist in building regional partnerships and get you access to relevant investors & funding sources.

PeelPioneers, an organic refinery for citrus peels, has been located in Prodock since 1 March 2017. Each year, more than 250 million kilos of citrus peels are thrown away in the Netherlands and then incinerated or fermented. It’s a pity these processing methods are used because the peels actually contain lots of valuable raw materials.

PeelPioneers has developed a process that makes it possible to convert these peels into, for example, fibres and aromatic compounds. These raw materials are subsequently processed into end products in various industries including the food, packaging and cosmetics sectors. This is how PeelPioneers transforms waste into raw materials and helps bring about the circular economy.

Since opening in March, PeelPioneers in Prodock has processed more than 200 kilos of orange peels a day that come from the catering facilities at Amsterdam Central Station. The ultimate aim is to upscale and to become the leading peel processor of the twenty-first century.

https://www.peelpioneers.nl/