On Monday March 6th, the 9th International LNG Congress is starting in Düsseldorf*. It is one of the most intent events about LNG in Europe covering the hot topics of the LNG industry – from liquefaction and LNG Storage and Transportation to the questions of LNG usage as a fuel, developing LNG infrastructure and LNG to end users.
As we all are aware both customers, consumers and governments are aware of the need for sustainability measures in some way or form. The EU has proposed Fit for 55 with several measures proposed and already in effect in the EU Mobility Package. The last news is that the proposal to reduce reliability on fossil fuel to 0 it is now changed into a more realistic reduction of 90% by 2040.
From Don Trucking point of view in terms of our vision on tomorrow’s world, our preferences are in bio-LNG, followed by battery powered and last liquid hydrogen trucking.
1. Hydrogen: This is mainly based on governmental incentives. In 2020 a total subvention was granted of 2,2B€ to set-off a hydrogen base, during 2020/2021 the topic was hot, gained a lot of attention and slowly drowned due to lack in funding. Seen the goals of the EU, where zero emissions on any given vehicle is projected in 2045 hydrogen can offer a clean alternative. This made the EU fund an extra round into this innovation of 5.2B€ in June of 2022. The momentum is back, free money runs around, and initiatives strive. We from our side will wait with patience. We tried in the 70ties, Japan tried since early 2000, unfortunately without success. hydrogen we see as a responsibility and an opportunity for OEM’s. When this will be a success, we will become a believer, an adaptor and we will participate. Until that moment we are skeptical and won’t invest. Why?
a. We pursued the hydrogen dream already in the 70ties, we didn’t really learn anything new, it is simply too expensive and by that it won’t be feasible.:
b. Hydrogen as an energy carrier was not successful in the 1970s primarily because the technology for producing, storing, and transporting hydrogen was not yet fully developed. At that time, the cost of producing hydrogen was very high and there were limited applications for hydrogen as an energy source.
c. During the 1970s, there was a significant interest in developing alternative energy sources in response to the oil crisis. Hydrogen was seen as a potential solution because it is a clean-burning fuel that can be produced from a variety of sources, including renewable energy sources. However, the high cost of producing hydrogen, coupled with the lack of infrastructure for storing and transporting hydrogen, made it difficult to scale up the use of hydrogen as an energy source.
d. Another challenge with hydrogen in the 1970s was safety. Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas and there were concerns about the safety of storing and transporting large quantities of hydrogen.
e. Today, there is renewed interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier, in part because of advances in technology that have made hydrogen production, storage, and transportation more efficient and cost-effective at least this is claimed. There are also now more applications for hydrogen, including in fuel cell vehicles and as a replacement for fossil fuels in industrial processes.
In summary, hydrogen was not successful as an energy carrier in the 1970s primarily because the technology for producing, storing, and transporting hydrogen was not fully developed and the cost of producing hydrogen was high. Today, there is renewed interest in hydrogen as an energy carrier due to advances in technology that have made hydrogen production, storage, and transportation more efficient and cost-effective.
2. Battery electric: Switching to an all-electric society would require significant investments in infrastructure and technology, but it is technically feasible. However, whether we have enough commodities to support an all-electric society depends on several factors.
a. First, it depends on the scale and speed of the transition. If the transition to an all-electric society were to happen rapidly and on a large scale, it could put pressure on the supply of certain commodities, such as metals and minerals that are used in the production of batteries and other electrical components.
b. Second, it depends on how efficiently we use resources. If we prioritize resource efficiency and recycling, we could reduce the demand for new commodities and extend their lifespan.
c. Third, it depends on the availability of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, to power the electrical grid. If we can transition to renewable energy sources and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we can reduce the environmental impact of an all-electric society and ensure the long-term availability of the resources needed to sustain it.
In summary, transitioning to an all-electric society is technically feasible, but it will require careful planning and management of resources to ensure sustainability and avoid potential supply constraints.
3. Our solution: Bio-LNG
Don Trucking, being one of the pioneers in sustainability initiatives in the transportation industry with a fleet of 150 trucks of which 60 trucks are powered by LNG. How will we reduce our carbon footprint to zero by 2025?
We collaborate with Shell for the purchase of our Bio-LNG. This bio-LNG part is produced and guaranteed by Shell.
The calculations are based on 3,78 km / kg LNG tn CO2 /10.2 CO2 compensation per ha. CO2 per trip will be calculated by our own TMS system Transportial.
and the CO2 will be compensated by our certified partner Ecobal.
Don Trucking started, initiated 3 years ago with our partners the company Ecobal, where we invest in forests to be ready for future carbon taxes and reliable carbon offsetting solutions. We revitalise, support and preserve at the moment 155ha of forests in Europe (8.4ha in Arzachena, IT / 65.3ha Abanilla, ES / 55ha Florac, FR/ 12,6ha Maldaresti, RO and 12.8ha in Radzanow, PL), we are aiming to increase this year over year to 500ha until 2027.
We take our partnerships very serious, both with our clients as with our stakeholders. One of our stakeholders is IVECO. An example of this you can see here.
*
Managing Director of Don Trucking – Mr Don De Jong will participate in panel discussion at LNGCON2023 about „Developing Vehicles Mobility” and tell you more about carbon offsetting in trucking industry like Ecobal initiative.
Additionally, together with other panelists, he will discuss how to incentivize transportation companies to use cleaner fuels in the context of #FitFor55 and what are the perspectives of bio-LNG market in future years.
* LNG Conference, Hilton Düsseldorf, Germany, Date: 6 March, 2023
Panel discussion: Developing vehicles mobility
13:20 – 13:30 Carbon offset in trucking
Exhibition Website: https://lngcongress.com/
Our Website: https://don-trucking.eu