Special panel I

Green shipping
Date: Tuesday 6 June,  2023
Time: 13.30 – 15.00
Location: Jean Monnet Theatre, Main Building

Moderator:  Peter Lefroy,  RWE Ireland 

• Jerry Hallissey, Shannon Foynes Port Company SFPC
• Prof. Dr. Elias Ar. Yfantis, Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute
• Nicholas Townsend, University of Southampton
• Prof. J J Leahy, Dept. of Chemical Sciences , University of Limerick

Abstract

Green shipping is defined as the movement of people or goods through ships using minimum resources and energy as possible, to protect the environment from the pollutants generated by the ships. With the global carbon footprint of the shipping industry accounting for between 3% and 4%, the ambition and commitment of the industry is to decarbonise by 2050, with the ambitions of some large constituent elements reducing this timeline to 2040. This townhall discussion will attempt to define the major areas that need to be addressed in order that this ambition can be brought to reality. Topics such as greener shipping routes, greener power source for vessels, localised solutions for decarbonisation including shore power, battery technology, alternative powered localised transport solutions and overall integration into national ambitions.

Green shipping is not a stand alone topic and must be integrated into an overall supply chain and logistics solution package, this panel discussion will attempt to address as many of these issues as possible with a question and answer availability at the end.

 

Moderator: Peter Lefroy
Director of RWE Renewables Ireland

Peter Lefroy is a Director of RWE Renewables Ireland. RWE is leading the way to a green energy world, expanding its green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts internationally by 2030 by investing €50 billion gross for this purpose in this decade in offshore and onshore wind, solar, hydrogen, batteries, biomass and gas. RWER Ireland is undertaking long-term investments into onshore wind, offshore wind and battery storage projects. Our objective is to grow a renewables business from greenfield sites as a long-term energy partner for Ireland during its energy transition to 2030 and beyond. Already with an operational wind farm, two battery storage facilities and both onshore and offshore wind farms in development, our current Irish portfolio is managed by our experienced team in Kilkenny and Dun Laoghaire. The largest development project is the Dublin Array Offshore Wind Farm, (up to 900 MW) a joint venture with Saorgus Energy. (www.dublinarray.com) Peter is leading the development of the RWE offshore business in Ireland. He has extensive experience in the energy industry having worked in engineering consultancy, project development and construction. Peter holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Limerick and an MBA from Trinity College Dublin. Peter is chair of the Wind Energy Ireland Offshore Committee, Director of NOW Ireland, a board member of Renewable Energy Ireland and a member of the advisory board of the University College Dublin Energy Institute

Jerry Hallissey
Head of Business Development for Shannon Foynes Port

Jerry Hallissey is Head of Business Development for Shannon Foynes Port. Shannon Foynes port is the statutory authority for the 500 square kilometer Shannon Estuary, it is Irelands largest bulk port and second largest overall, with channel depts of up to 32 meters, it is the deepest and most sheltered estuary in Ireland. Jerry Hallissey has been involved in maritime, logistics and supply chain industries for over 30 years, he has been involved in projects in Ireland, UK, Europe and the United States and has created and delivered customer centric supply chain solutions to various industry sectors.

Prof. Dr Elias Yfantis
Senior Scientist Marine and Offshore Science, Technology and Engineering
Centre Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute

Prof Elias Yfantis has more than 25 years of academic experience in Greece and Cyprus, including administrative experience as a Dean, Laboratory Director, and Program Coordinator. His professional activities include the provision of consulting services to the public and private sectors and heading or participating in international boards, councils, committees, and working groups. As a Senior Scientist at the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute, Elias is focusing on the Decarbonization of the shipping sector (best practices, techniques, methodologies, and alternative maritime fuels), vessel and fleet performance optimization, and the innovative design of marine propulsion and auxiliary systems. His recent research is targeting the assessment of the techno-economic impact of the Fit-for-55 legislation package, evaluation of the environmental footprint of the supply chain and the intermodal transportation, theoretical and experimental investigation of ammonia, hydrogen and biomethane as maritime fuels, and the development of on-board carbon capture applications. Elias has published more than 75 refereed articles in Scientific Journals and Conference Proceedings.

Nicholas Townsend
Lecturer University of Southampton

To create a more environmentally sustainable maritime future, Nick’s research is investigating the performance of renewable energy scavenging systems for improving the efficiency of marine craft and robotic systems. By capturing or exploiting the ambient ocean energy for performance gains, next generation systems and vehicles can be developed with greater capability with reduced or zero emissions. Project https://seatech2020.eu/

Prof. J J Leahy
Dept of Chemical Sciences, University of Limerick.

Research interests include –  waste management, renewable energy, applied biofuels and the biofuels industry, with key roles in major EC funded and National projects in bioenergy, biofuels and biorefineries.  JJ heads a research group focused on chemical technologies for biofuels and biorefining from wastes with particular interests in: * Identifying the optimum thermochemical route (gasification, pyrolysis), & chemical hydrolysis for the production of chemicals and second generation transport fuels from bio-waste.  * Processing facilities to test & optimize the yield of selected product from characterized feedstocks. * Develop and test catalysts/ chemical processes for the production of and upgrading bio-oil.  *  Develop state of the art pre-treatment processes, that enable rapid and environmentally benign procedures for hydrolysis of  carbohydrate components in lignocellulosic materials.  *  Demonstrate the feasibility of producing bio syngas and develop and test catalysts/chemical processes for production of alcohol or diesel fuels.