Dive Brief:
- The Port of Amsterdam will host the largest solar installation in that city on the building of Singaporean shipper CWT Logistics, according to a press release.
- Solar energy company KiesZon plans to install 41,114 solar panels to generate more than 11,000,000 kWh of electricity, which is enough to power 3,100 homes, according to the release.
- Partial funding for the solar project will come from a SDE+ grant from the Dutch government, which covers the cost differential between conventional energy sources and renewables.
Dive Insight:
In an effort to support the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, the Port of Amsterdam has a plan to be one of the "top European ports of sustainability" by 2030. This is the third in a series of recent moves toward that goal.
On August 1, the port increased the discount they offer to ships burning liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel, calling LNG a "vital transitional fuel."
The port already offers a discount on port dues to ships with a favorable Environmental Ship Index (ESI) score. The ESI is an aggregate score for individual vessels based on various types of emissions and number of engines.
The new rule offers an additional discount if ships with an ESI score of 20 or more also burn LNG. In addition, the port announced a scheme to convert unrecyclable plastic into diesel fuel last month.
Amsterdam is not the first port to invest in solar energy — Jurong Port in Singapore also contains a large-scale solar installation and a similar effort is underway in Ghent, Belgium.
