The Baltic Hub has commissioned Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. to retrofit a hybrid green energy storage solution on one of its Liebherr Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (RTGs).
The terminal has 18 Liebherr RTGs at the port and the initial purchase will reportedly allow the Baltic Hub to assess the technology with a view to further retrofitting its fleet of Liebherr RTG with the system.
The retrofit sees the addition of a Liduro energy storage system along with exchanging the existing 13 litres genset with a smaller 8 litre genset.
This will allow the RTG to operate at the same speed and productivity, whilst reducing operating costs, and delivering substantial environmental benefits, including a reduction in emissions and carbon footprint.
At the heart of the system is the Liduro LES 200, a capacitor system designed and developed by Liebherr-Electronics and Drives GmbH.
The system is designed to capture and store energy generated during hoist lowering and braking that would otherwise be wasted, according to Liebherr.
The stored energy is then deployed during the hoisting cycle to reduce the overall demand on the genset, allowing for a reduction in fuel consumed and a reduction in emissions.
Dual layer capacitors are capable of rapidly charging and discharging many times, without a drop in performance, making them an ideal solution for applications requiring high power and short-duration energy storage, such as that found in container handling, reported to Liebherr.
The RTG crane is thus anticipated to have access to reliable, high-power energy during peak demand periods by utilising this innovative technology.
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“The green energy solution that the [Baltic Hub] have chosen, not only makes a significant reduction in the amount of energy consumed and the amount of emissions released, but the return on investment is clear to see, with the retrofit paying for itself in the short term,” said Oran Kane, Liebherr’s Container Cranes Head of Department for Upgrades and Modifications.
This commissioning comes almost two months after Eurogate Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW) placed an order for two dual trolley ship to shore container (STS) cranes with Liebherr Container Cranes.
