MAGAZYN GDAŃ SKI
daily operating costs of 70,000 euros – a result that should be of interest to commercial shipping companies , as well . At the Offshore Dialogue , Rabenstein will speak about the increasing number of ice-free days in Arctic waters which will allow more ships to sail through the Northwest passage in future .
Offshore Dialogue at SMM : More watts with fewer emissions
Rising sea levels , shrinking biodiversity , higher water temperatures : The oceans are suffering from climate change . Humanity must change its course rapidly . Many hopes are pinned on electricity generation on the water , which could propel the maritime energy transition , as well . At the Offshore Dialogue during SMM , experts will explore options for sustainable use of the oceans . The leading international maritime trade fair will take place in Hamburg from 6 to 9 September 2022 .
Hamburg , 23 June 2022 – Renewable energy sources are at the top of the agenda : By 2045 the Federal Government wants to increase the German offshore wind capacity nearly tenfold . The country ’ s wind farms are expected to have a combined capacity of 70 gigawatts ( GW ) by that time . The European Commission is planning to increase the EU-wide capacity to as much as 340 GW by 2050 . Building all these wind turbines is a technical , logistical and financial challenge of huge proportions – and it is a very urgent project , not only to achieve independence from Russian natural gas but also to cut emissions radically .
The shipping industry will likewise be highly dependent on powerful wind turbines as it strives to become carbon-neutral : „ Ambitious expansion of wind power on land and at sea is a prerequisite for the production of alternative ship fuels ,” says Claus Ulrich Selbach , Business Unit Director – Maritime and Technology Fairs & Exhibitions at Hamburg Messe und Congress . „ Whether methanol or ammonia , synthetic fuels won ’ t be truly sustainable unless they are based on ‚ green ’ hydrogen produced with renewable energy .”
All this entails an enormous challenge : Offshore wind farms are to be built at distances of 30 to 40 kilometres from the shore , anchored in the seafloor at depths of up to 40 metres . Can this be realised without damaging vulnerable marine ecosystems ? This is one of the questions to be discussed by a top-flight expert panel at the Offshore Dialogue ( OD ). The international conference will take place on 8 September 2022 during SMM .
The power of data
The oceans are a threatened biosphere . The „ Ocean Decade ” initiative is the United Nations ’ response aiming to implement international solutions for the protection and sustainable use of oceans by the year 2030 . „ Oceans are of enormous importance for us here on earth because they regulate the climate and limit global heating caused by human greenhouse gas emissions . The effects of climate change on oceans and coastal regions are massive , and we must take action urgently to improve the situation in the oceans ,” says Dr Steffen Knodt , Member of the Board of the German Ocean Decade Committee ( ODK ). At the Offshore Dialogue , Dr Knodt will provide an overview of the committee ’ s national and international activities .
Safe and fast
Findings from regions which have been hit by climate change especially hard are of particular importance to climate research . For example , the Arctic is heating three times faster than the world average . To obtain concrete data on this , scientists must use specialised ships which have to fight their way through thick sea ice . Lasse Rabenstein and his start-up Drift + Noise help expedition teams do so successfully . At the OD , the company ’ s co-founder will present the ice information app “ IcySea ”. „ We provide high-resolution satellite images of the polar regions to our customers around the clock . They can be received with minimum bandwidth . In addition , our range of services includes a forecasting system for the optimum route through the ice ,” says Rabenstein who has a PhD in geophysics and more than 15 years of experience operating in polar regions . For example , his app has supported the crew of the AWI research vessel Polarstern . „ Thanks to the satellite images we were able to identify open water channels in the ice cover and shorten a trip that normally takes four days to only two .” This translated to substantial financial savings , considering the vessel ’ s
Energy from the sea
From fishing vessels to scientific research , merchant and cruise ships , there is plenty of traffic in coastal waters . Offshore wind farms increasingly crowd these areas . One of the world ’ s biggest operators with offshore wind farms totalling 2.4 GW in installed power is the German energy company RWE . “ We would like to invest much more rapidly ,” notes RWE CEO Markus Krebber . But , he adds , requests for government support are taking too much time to process . Contrary to the Netherlands , Germany has no clear goal for its hydrogen industry , he says . Dr Bernadette Zipfel , Team Lead Engineering Management Future Technologies , will explain how the company envisions the future of energy generation .
Having done extensive research on the subject , Prof Dr Martin Kaltschmitt from Technical University Hamburg ( TUHH ) gives his assessment : „ Offshore wind power is steadily gaining in importance . The same will apply to offshore hydrogen production in the medium term , which will help transport the electrical energy generated far offshore as efficiently as possible so it can be made available on land .” At the Offshore Dialogue , he will discuss what he believes to be the most promising approaches .
One major topic is how all this energy could be stored . In his presentation Dr Walter Kuehnlein , Consultant and Founder of the start-up terra . blue , will highlight several options . Together with the Chairman of the Board of the Society for Maritime Technology ( Gesellschaft für Maritime Technik , GMT ), Prof Dr Sören Ehlers , Kuehnlein will be moderating this year ’ s Offshore Dialogue .
„ I am looking forward to welcoming so many smart thinkers to the conference . For the first time , we will put a strong focus on hydrogen at this SMM . Through this event , the subsequent WindEnergy Hamburg and the H2 EXPO & CONFERENCE , we want to establish Hamburg as the capital of the international hydrogen economy ,” says Claus Ulrich Selbach . The two events will take place from 27 to 30 September 2022 .
Interested parties can find the full programme for the Offshore Dialogue here .
About SMM
The leading international maritime trade fair will take place in Hamburg from 6 to 9 September 2022 . Around 2,000 exhibitors and more than 40,000 visitors from over 100 countries are expected to attend . In eleven exhibition halls , SMM covers the entire value chain of the maritime industry . As a platform for innovation , it brings together leaders from around the world . The 30th SMM focuses on the maritime energy transition , the digital transformation and climate change . The 2021 SMM was held as an online event due to the COVID pandemic . This year , the maritime community will once again gather live on the exhibition campus and in conferences featuring top-ranking panellists .
Press contact : Nora Hirschfeld , ph . + 49 40 3569- 2445 E-mail : Nora . Hirschfeld @ hamburg-messe . de
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