December 2024
Successful summit for a greener future for the aviation and maritime industries
TULIPS showcased some of its innovative projects at the Seas to Skies Conference, held on December 3rd and 4th, 2024, at Brussels Airport and in Antwerp. This two-day event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to exchange experiences on accelerating the clean energy transition of Europe’s ports and airports.
The conference highlighted the collective efforts of five “EU Green Deal” projects for airports – Stargate, OLGA, and TULIPS – and ports – PIONEERS and Magpie. These projects, co-funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, are managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, Seas to Skies empowered participants to address pressing challenges and propose unified solutions across projects and sectors.
Green Deal Projects: Delivering Real-World Impact
The projects presented at the conference showcased tangible benefits of sustainable approaches. These pioneering initiatives are already making an impact by reducing emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and improving the overall environmental performance of ports and airports.
Fokko Kroesen, Project Coordinator for TULIPS explains: “After two years, the TULIPS project has successfully contributed to shaping the energy transition necessary to balance energy supply and demand at our lighthouse airport. Additionally, we have extended these efforts to regional airports, addressing unique challenges from varied energy infrastructures.
Enhanced Synergy
TULIPS demonstrations of hydrogen equipment and liquid hydrogen storage solutions have been pivotal in showcasing technologies needed to achieve emission reduction goals. Fokko: “These solutions are essential components of the broader portfolio of measures required to meet these targets. The Seas to Skies Conference, involving five collaborative projects, highlighted significant dissemination and partnership development progress. The crosslinks between initiatives underscore the potential for enhanced synergy, laying a promising foundation to scale solutions during the remaining project period.”
Showcasing TULIPS Innovations
These are the TULIPS demonstrations we showcased at Seas to Skies.
WP1: Sustainable Intermodal Transport Connections
We presented an innovative app – Mobility as a Service (MaaS) – designed to help passengers arriving by air calculate the most efficient and sustainable last-mile connections to their final destinations. Additionally, we presented an intermodal airport hub model aimed at strategising emissions reduction at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, along with a presentation on green and connected trucking.
WP2: Energy Supply of Future Aircraft
Our work on the liquid hydrogen supply chain and management at Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTHA) was highlighted. At RTHA we’re working on the fuelling of small aircraft with liquid hydrogen. This marks a significant breakthrough in clean energy for aviation.
WP3: Smart Airport Energy Hub
We demonstrated our compact heat storage and Iron Flow Battery, the first one converting sustainable electricity into storable heat and the second one providing large-scale electricity storage. These innovations help relieve grid stress and the IFB ensures a consistent energy supply for electric equipment at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
WP5: Scaling up the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Market
At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, we have advanced SAF adoption through partnerships and subsidies, supporting 14 airlines in 2024. We are also exploring innovations such as eSAF production, blending hubs, and storage facilities to drive sustainable aviation.