Heiti verkefnis : 

Hafnir Sjálfbærir orkustöðvar

Verkefnastjóri : 

EFLA

Stutt lýsing á verkefninu:

Iceland has a. Iceland’s renewable energy resources, and climate action plan, combined with the unique status in the maritime supply chain and the proximity to Europe provide great opportunities for the Icelandic ports to serve as energy hubs. To secure sustainable maritime operations, stakeholders need to rethink their current strategies and adapt. In this context, ports are a cornerstone for the adoption of green fuels and will play an important role in the decarbonization efforts of the country. In this research project, 1- energy transition trends are analyzed, 2- opportunities and challenges for the development of energy hub in Icelandic ports are explored, and 3- solutions for the development of energy hub in Icelandic ports are presented.

Tilgangur og markmið:

Environmental implication is one of the main objectives of port stakeholders in Iceland. In this line, air quality has been the top environmental priority of port users since 2013 followed by climate change and then energy efficiency (ESPO, 2021). Growth in industrial fisheries, sustainable aquaculture, and further processing and warehousing have affected fishing ports. Cargo and container handling has increased in Icelandic ports (Eskafi et al., 2021). The cruise sector has been growing faster than other segments of the travel industry (Eskafi et al., 2022).

To minimize the environmental impact of ports in the light of increasing cargo and passenger flows as well as more stringent emissions regulations, improving in energy efficiency of the maritime supply chain has become an obligation. Ports are positioning themselves as hubs of economic growth and development in a sustainable manner which is only achievable through green technologies and decarbonization policies.

In this context, this research project provides comprehensive information aiming at answering the following research questions:

1-     what are energy transition trends and decarbonization policies in Iceland and worldwide?

2-     What are the opportunities and challenges to develop an energy hub in Icelandic ports?

3-     What is a possible action plan to develop an energy hub in Icelandic ports?

The outputs of the project will be 1- an action plan for the development of an energy hub in Icelandic ports, 2- one scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal, and 3- a conference presentation based on the final results of this research project.