This proposal seeks to address the following key concerns for Europe in the area of transport:

The need to reduce Green House Gas emissions.

The need to reduce harmful particulate emissions from dirty fuels (both on land and in the maritime area).

The need to maximize energy efficiency through the effective integration of renewable energy systems.

If we are to decarbonise our transport fleets we must look beyond providing just low carbon transport solutions only at the point of use. We most also develop policies which can support the development and deployment technologies which provide energy solutions best placed to reduce total CO2 emissions overall. Two leading examples of such an approach are:

The adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) will have limited overall green credentials if the interdependent electricity supply is primarily fueled from fossil fuels

Increased legislation linked to automotive tailpipe emissions will have limited effect in reducing the particulate emissions, if we continue to burn bunker fuel in our maritime sector.

This project therefore seeks to address the need for policies which can support efforts to develop new technologies which:

Integrate more effectively the use of renewable energy solutions in our transport network.

Maximise energy efficiency in the total energy system.

Adopt new alternative lower carbon fuels.

Aims
To identify and develop best practice transnational policy which can effectively underpin future green North Sea energy corridors which can integrate regional low carbon transport initiatives.

Objectives
The objectives are to:
1. Identify technologies and initiatives best placed to decarbonise regional low carbon transport networks.
2. To develop transactional policy initiatives to support the integration of these solutions across the North Sea region in the form of green energy corridors. This to include the investigation into the use of novel energy storage methods best placed to link the region’s renewable energy generation to areas of high demand including current initiatives to develop low carbon transport systems.
3. Understand regional skill gaps and to instigate the development of a network of regional providers to address future training needs.
4. Develop a regional economic model which can aid the underpinning of a transnational effort to minimise cost for future infrastructure investment. This to include the effective use of European Investment Bank funding for low carbon transport.
5. Establish a cross regional stakeholder group. This to include bodies which are best placed to support regional efforts to:

Develop low carbon transport

Integrate green energy corridors

Remove barriers to growth.

Coordinate planning

Develop local skills training.
6. Develop and disseminate a transnational strategy for future accelerated development in the North Sea area. This to include the dissemination to public and private sector stakeholders, for future policy and infrastructure development projects.
7. Formation of a continuation plan to seek ongoing development funds for infrastructure projects to implement such a transnational strategy.

Impact
To develop polices which can remove barriers of entry for new technologies which can:

Increase EVs uptake. (currently limited to under 900,000 vehicles in the UK)1.

Support efficient integration of renewable energy for transport use

Avoid the use of first generation bio-fuels (and known food poverty issues).

Aid the development of new infrastructure for future low carbon energy solutions.

Support the development of legislation issues supporting the use of public transport based on green technologies.

Simplify issues around planning new infrastructure – technology legal catch up

Provide a knowledgebase (including latest information covering the impact that new technologies are likely to have in the sector) for future stakeholder – for example information covering future disruptive technology and alternative fuels such as hydrogen.

Provide economic assessment data for pan regional stakeholders such as the European Investment Bank.

Identify and encourage the development of skill development projects.

Assess policy issues around the use of new Energy Storage solutions such as hydrogen and compressed air.

Investigate policy and technical issues linked to the future establishment of green energy corridors across the North Sea.
This project seeks to identify best practice in other countries and develop new policy initiatives at the regional level both to address these issues and maximize opportunities for future growth, namely:

Energy corridors which can effectively transport renewable power generation in Scandinavian region to other parts of the North Sea via novel energy storage (hydrogen etc).

New methods for renewable energy storage and transportation.

Emerging green fuel alternatives such as:

hydrogen corridors for low carbon transport.

Coal Gassification – additional hydrogen and links with CCS.

Waste to Energy - plasma to hydrogen

Bio-fuels (2nd generation biofuels-Synethic fuels – gas to liquids) utilizing green hydrogen feed stocks from chemical cracking.

The use of and cleaning up of off gas hydrogen.

The capture of waste energy within marine applications for use within
port energy systems.
The focus of the project therefore, is to develop policy initiatives which can support regional bodies to overcome the current barriers and aid new technologies to integrate the region’s alternative energy .

Gateshead College (UK)

Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Co-operative (UK)

HyRaMP (European Regions and Municipalities Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells)

SHHP (Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership)

Links to be made with Zero Regio & E-Mobility North Sea Region project led by Hamburg University

Partners are being sort who have:

An in depth knowledge of use of hydrogen as both a low carbon transport fuel and potential energy storage medium when used in conjunction with renewable energy technologies.

Knowledge on the effective integration of renewable energy systems within National and Smart grids.

Extended networks which include links to: academia, centre’s of skills training, local and national government, industrial companies involved in the renewable sector, links with regional transport networks and stakeholders the future development of infrastructure projects.

Technical capabilities for high level energy studies.

Links to establish energy specialist (oil, coal, chemical) industries.