Emden | 20. Februar 2019
The incandescent light bulb, traditional timer switches, and ON/OFF switches have all seen better days and are all but obsolete. Today’s lighting systems are smart and energy-efficient. That is exactly why Niedersachsen Ports has implemented an innovative lighting concept at the rail track area in the Port of Emden over the past months. Within the port, this track grouping is used to aid in the transshipment of motorized vehicles, for the shunting and switching, staging and parking, the loading and unloading of car carrier trains (Auto Train rail cars). The types of jobs to be performed, as well as the different areas in need of illumination, require individual lighting scenarios.
Smart Controls for Targeted Light Deployment
The smart control unit is the center piece of this new system. Motion sensors and light and track sensors capture the requirements for the individual situation. Remote-controlling the system is achieved through a web connection and provides light, wherever and whenever needed, and at the exactly required light intensity. When the tracks are idle, for instance, a medium illumination of five lux (~0.5 fc) is sufficient for jobs like general and site security. Shunting requires 15 lux (~1.4 fc), while any unloading operation requires an average light intensity of 30 lux (~2.8 fc). “We are structuring and aligning our ports in a modern and sustainable fashion. These goals are synergetic to each other, the lighting system is a great case in point for this” explains Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and of JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG.
Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection
The lighting system is fitted with LED technology, resulting in lower operating and maintenance costs and an overall longer life of the lamps. The lower electricity consumption reduces the CO2 footprint of the port.
Holger Banik is convinced of the benefits: “The energy-saving LED technology, combined with the smart control system, provides a safer work environment in the rail track area. At the same time, we are able to curtail stray light emissions toward the surroundings”.
By mounting two LED lamps to guy wires between two masts each, we were able to ideally illuminate the alleyways between the trains. Since the inception of construction in the summer of 2018, a total of 14 lighting gantries and 11 single masts have been installed. After the masts were erected, the cabling was installed in the trusses and the system was programmed.
The track field illumination was implemented within the realm of the EU-INTERREG project DUAL Ports. The project DUAL Ports aims to collaborate with North Sea ports to create measures and strategies that make the ports more innovative and sustainable. An almost identical lighting project is being implemented at the Danish Port of Vordingborg, and the lighting project has entailed a new pilot project, that will explore the possibilities for smart security – lighting that will connect to port security systems, shedding light on unauthorized activities and adapting lights to different conditions in port operations. You can read more about the SMART SECURITY pilot here.
“The right light at the right time,” summarizes Project Manager Aike Wollersheim in a few words the lighting project of Niedersachsen Ports. These days, construction work on the installation of an intelligent lighting system at Eichstraße in Emden begins. A track of six tracks is used there for shunting, parking and loading and unloading of car trains.
The lighting system will be built in this area as an LED system and equipped with an intelligent control system. Motion detectors as well as light and track sensors detect the respective situation. The system can be operated via SMS or an app via a technical remote control and then light is made available where, when and in which light intensity it is actually needed. “We use the potential of digitization to save resources, optimize port operations and relieve the burden on the environment,” emphasizes Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG and JadeWeserPort Realisierungs GmbH & Co. KG.
In the future, the light intensities will be adapted to the different lighting scenarios. Thus, in the idle state, a mean illuminance of five lux is sufficient for e.g. general security and security. For the shunting operation 15 lux are required while in unloading an average thickness of 30 lux is necessary.
“We will install 14 light bridges and 11 single masts in the next few weeks. Suspension ropes and hangers are suspended by two masts, in order to be able to optimally illuminate the lanes between the trains later,” Wollersheim continues. After setting up the masts, the wiring follows in the structures. The programming of the technology and a trial operation complete the construction work. It is planned to go into regular operation this fall.
Track lighting is being implemented as part of the EU-INTERREG project DUAL Ports. The DUAL Ports project aims to collaborate with ports in the North Sea Region to work together on policies and strategies to make ports more sustainable and innovative. A parallel lighting project will be realized in the Danish port of Vordingborg.
If you would like to now more about the LED pilot, please contact pilot leader Matthäus Wuczkowski, Sustainability Manager at Niedersachsen Ports, +49 441 – 35020-613, mwuczkowski@nports.de
Foto: NPorts. Eamonn O’Reilly (ESPO, Chairman), Dr. Matthäus Wuczkowski (NPorts, Sustainability Manager), Isabelle Ryckbost (ESPO, Secretary General)
We congratulate our project partner and pilot leader, the Port of Emden, for their achievement of the PERS Certificate. The Port of Emden is the second port of Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts) to have received a PERS certificate for its environmental management.
The Port Environmental Review System – PERS – is used as a standard for the verification of port-specific measures. The certificate is awarded after an extensive preparatory phase by the environmental initiative EcoPorts of the European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO). “With the PERS certificate, we are committed to the future-oriented development of our ports and to our sustainability initiative,” emphasizes Holger Banik, Managing Director of Niedersachsen Ports. In order to meet the requirements, specific environmental aspects have to be implemented in the ports and documented in a report. Every two years, EcoPorts re-examines environmental management.
“Green measures for Emden”
In the environmental report, six key environmental aspects were identified for NPorts in Emden: air pollutant emissions, noise emissions, water emissions and quality, waste management, pollution of soil and impacts on habitats and biotopes. Concrete measures are already being implemented or are being planned for all areas. For example, since April 2014, NPorts has been granting a reduction in the port shipments (Environmental Ship Index, ESI) for particularly environmentally friendly ships. In addition, the port company is committed to the environmentally sound disposal of ship waste. With a special management plan and a financial incentive to dispose of waste in ports, Niedersachsen Ports contributes to the reduction of garbage in the sea.
Green electricity and intelligent light for the port
Since January 1, 2017, NPorts has purchased 97.7 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources. This also serves customers in the port. This year an innovative lighting system is to be erected on a railway track in Emden. This is a part of the DUAL Ports project, under the North Sea Region Programme. The lighting system is not only equipped with LED lamps, it is based on an intelligent lighting concept. Sensors are used to provide the right lighting. This ensures that at any time only as much light is switched on as is required in the respective time. “This intelligent lighting system is a win-win situation. It helps us not only to reduce CO2 and light emissions to a minimum, but also to save valuable energy resources,” explains the NPADS Sustainability Manager, Dr. Matthew Wuczkowski. In addition, the port company’s fleet is gradually being converted to electromobility. In addition, the employees of NPorts contribute to a sustainable port with their own mobility. They are taking part in the action “Stadtradeln für die gute Klima”, which runs in Emden from 4 to 24 September 2017.
Sustainability in all NP ports
For the future it is planned to extend the PERS certification also to the other NPorts port locations. Wilhelmshaven was already certified in autumn 2016.
You can read the full PERS Environmental Report for the Port of Emden here.
Facts about NPorts
Niedersachsen Ports is the owner and operator of five seaports, seven island supply ports and three regional ports on the German North Sea coast. The registered office of the company is Oldenburg. With its branch offices in Brake, Cuxhaven with an outdoor station in Stade, Emden and Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen Ports manages the port infrastructure in the large seaports of the state of Lower Saxony. The northern branch also operates the supply ports for the East Frisian Islands. Thus, Niedersachsen Ports offers a variety of port locations from a single source.
For more information:
Niedersachsen Ports GmbH & Co. KG
Hindenburgstraße 26 – 30 | 26122 Oldenburg
T +49 (0) 441 35 020 – 310 | F +49 (0) 441 35 020 – 999
