Chapter 1 - Energy-saving technologies
Europe’s waterborne transport sector plays a vital role in our economic well-being. In fact, 77 % of European external trade and 35 % of all trade between EU Member States is transported by water. But these numbers come with a price. According to figures from the European Environment Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency, ships produce 14 % of all transport-related greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to more than 130 million tonnes of CO2. Although this represents a smaller share than what is produced by the road transport and aviation sectors (71 % and 15 % respectively), it remains a substantial carbon footprint. With demand for shipping forecast to grow significantly in the coming years, there’s a real risk that emissions from this sector could increase by up to 50 % by 2050. CINEA is committed to supporting the development of technologies and solutions that can mitigate this increase.
A cleaner path with renewable power
A key approach for reducing shipping emissions is to find more efficient ways to get from A to B. The CO2NTROL project developed an intuitive platform for planning, managing and tracking shipments in a way that minimises an operator’s environmental impact. The platform is already being used by container shipping companies to optimise their routes. The industry is also creating commercially viable technologies capable of reducing – if not eliminating – shipping-related carbon emissions. The Orcelle and SustainSea projects are both working to harness the wind to power large cargo ships. To do so, the projects are using vertical sails installed on a cargo ship’s deck to harness wind energy when suitable. By replacing fossil fuels with renewable wind energy, the sails have the potential to reduce carbon emissions of a freighter by up to 90 %. Through innovation and technological prowess, each of these projects is helping waterborne transport decrease its primary use of energy and, in doing so, decrease carbon emissions.