A PATCH at Seawork lights up member ports
Nozon Technologies has just installed an intelligent solar lighting demonstration on the Torbay Council town dock in Devon, a direct result of the PATCH projects stand at Seawork 2011.
One visitor to the PATCH stand was Captain Kevin Mowat from Torbay, who took an immediate interest in the Nozon Solar Technologies being showcased, intelligent energy efficient solar lighting poles. Since then, the first UK trial of the technology has been set up there and is generating significant interest across the region and nationally with regard to both maritime and onshore applications.
Nozon Technologies is a partner of the Port of Oostende and University of Gent in the so called Green Bridge Science Park, to test and validate the environmental performance of their technologies. This includes anticipated savings in energy costs from the grid, which are not insignificant, especially in the UK at the moment. This high performance solar technology provides power on demand for lighting, dynamic information boards, and increased security in and around harbour areas, all at significantly reduced cost
Ports Adapting to Change (PATCH) is an EU funded transnational collaboration project between the eight ports Ramsgate, Newhaven, Portsmouth, Calais, Zeebrugge, Zeeland Seaports and Oostende. It is seeking to change the way major north sea and channel ports function. The lead partner AGHO Oostende in Belgium.
The project provides investments in infrastructure, promotes new energy efficient ways of working and helps the ports work together on identifying their markets for the future and by working together, allowing managers and staff the opportunity to learn from each other. It funds joint technical workshops about a wide range of issues including dredging, impact of new shipping fuel regulations, and how to adapt a port to the arrival of the new offshore wind energy industries in order to harness job opportunities from operations and maintenance bases nearby.
Both Ramsgate and Oostende are going through major transitions at the moment. As part of the project, PATCH promotes B2B activity between its ports and also organises brokerage events between the ports and companies with resource efficient technologies that can have a major impact on the running costs of those ports. The most recent event was held aboard the new P&O ferry Spirit of Britain between Dover and Calais.
