×

POLICY QUOTATION FORM

Please fill out this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

CREATE AN ACCOUNT FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

CREATE ACCOUNT

ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT?
QUESTIONS? CALL: +1-888-3698790
  • LOGIN
  • GET A QUOTE

IciCoverage New Site

  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • PRODUCTS & SERVICES
  • FAQ
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT US
  • Home
  • Blog
  • What can reefer-owners do to reduce reefers’ CO2 emissions?
18 January, 2021

BLOG & Gossip

What can reefer-owners do to reduce reefers’ CO2 emissions?

by Luis Gondelles / Wednesday, 28 February 2018 / Published in Blog

All of the reefers in the world consume as much energy as a small state. Since most reefers use fossil fuels to run the refrigeration system’s compressor, fan and electronics, the specialized containers emit millions of tons of CO2 each year. Is there a way to reduce reefers’ CO2 emissions? Can reefer-owners “green” their reefers to lower dependence on fossil fuels?

Most of the energy sources used to power the reefers use fossils fuels: On ships, energy comes from the ship’s electrical system, powered by steam or diesel generators; in container yards the energy comes from the local grid; and on long-haul trucks or railcars, energy comes from generators attached to the box.

Reefer’s CO2 emissions tend to be pretty high. The Container Handbook suggests the average energy consumption per reefer amounts to 3,600 W, though it should be noted that said energy consumption varies for each container depending on factors such as set-point temperature for the cooled space, ambient conditions, system efficiency, etc.

Each day a regular reefer consumes 43,000 W per hour; assuming that each 1,000 W per hour emits 1.27 kg of CO2, the average reefers’ CO2 emissions ascend to 54.61 kg.

Mitigate reefers’ CO2 emissions with alternative energy

Is there a way to reduce this carbon footprint? Well, reefer-owners can use alternative green sources of energy to power reefers. Given the nature of the environment in which reefers develop, a solar-based energy source seems ideal.

Solar panels come to mind when thinking of solar powering the reefers cooling system. It is a renewable energy source which would reduce reefers’ CO2 emissions. But is it a viable option?

Given the average reefer energy consumption per day, the solar array on the solar reefer would need to output 10,000 W per hour assuming an average insolation of 5 peak sun hours falling over the container (explanation of peak-hour concept).

Using a 300 W rated solar panel and since each panel is 1.6 m by 1 m, the reefer would need 34 panels and 54.4 square meters of sun receiving surface to function solely on solar energy. A single TEU container has an available surface area of 58.8 square meters excluding the bottom, but it is impossible for the sun to hit every side of the container at once, so it is not viable to power a reefer solely on solar energy.

Since there is no sense in covering the entire container with solar panels, and knowing there is no possible way to power the reefer with solar energy, we’ll consider using just the top of the TEU for solar energy production.

A TEU container has roughly 14 square meters of surface available on its top, meaning eight 300 W panels can fit in. Assuming 5 hours of peak sun hours, the panels can generate 12,000 W, which represents almost 28% of the energy a reefer consumes in a day. This energy can relieve the reefers’ CO2 emissions by 15.24 kg.

Of course this is all a rough calculation and subject to variables such as efficiencies, temperatures, insulation, shading, and weather. I’m also not considering the battery storage system that we’d want to incorporate as well.

Solar reefers could be a viable way to reduce reefers’ CO2 emissions as of today, even more as its performance and strength improves. Soon a solar reefer may shift from a mere novelty to a new standard.

To read the full report, click here.

0
  • Tweet
Tagged under: CO2, emissions, reefer, reefers, solar energy

About Luis Gondelles

What you can read next

Is shipping industry ignoring cyber risk?
Top reason to get ICI´s “All risk” coverage for intermodal units
toc americas 2016
The digitisation of ports: Can the industry truly “connect the dots” between the different applications involved in port operations?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Cargo Insurance

    Cargo insurance basics: What is it? Do you need it?

    Every day, cargo valued in billions of dollars ...
  • Allianz starts ambitious climate change protection plan

    The Allianz Group is significantly expanding it...
  • Why is cargo insurance important: The Maersk Honam case

    By law, all shipping carriers are forced to off...
  • Robotics in the insurance industry: The Brightside case

    Robotics in the insurance industry is starting ...
  • Allianz Lanka is created after Allianz’ acquisition of Sri Lankan general insurance unit

    Allianz announced the creation of Allianz Insur...

ICI Twitter
icicoverageInternational Container Insurance@icicoverage·
11h

Last week, LNG carrier spot rates hit an all-time high of $200,000 a day, with one fixture at $350,000a day as the Asian JKM LNG price soared to a record $21/MMbtu on extreme winter weather. By @Splash_247 https://t.co/9eKVFiJuj4

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter1Like on Twitter1Twitter
icicoverageInternational Container Insurance@icicoverage·
14h

Maersk Drilling has been awarded a contract by Spirit Energy for 2009-built jackup rig Maersk Resolve to drill one development well at Grove North East in the UK North Sea. By @Splash_247 https://t.co/56fLghtGGq

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter1Like on TwitterTwitter
icicoverageInternational Container Insurance@icicoverage·
17h

BIMCO has crunched the numbers for dry bulk movements over the past 12 months to highlight China’s dominant position. By @Splash_247 https://t.co/PNUgnKTSuy

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter1Like on Twitter1Twitter
icicoverageInternational Container Insurance@icicoverage·
20h

Monaco’s Scorpio Bulkers, soon to be renamed Eneti as it transitions to an offshore wind vessel owner, has sold another bulker this week. By @Splash_247 https://t.co/heTpSCP65v

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter3Like on Twitter1Twitter
icicoverageInternational Container Insurance@icicoverage·
16 Jan

German owner Harren & Partner is looking to grow its business in the offshore wind sector with the launch of SAL Renewables, having added 2010-built jackup vessel Wind Lift I to its fleet. By @Splash_247 https://t.co/XG4rsmnE4Q

Reply on TwitterRetweet on Twitter1Like on TwitterTwitter
Load More...

ICI Facebook

Unable to display Facebook posts.
Show error

Error: The user must be an administrator, editor, or moderator of the page in order to impersonate it. If the page business requires Two Factor Authentication, the user also needs to enable Two Factor Authentication.
Type: OAuthException
Code: 190
Subcode: 492
Please refer to our Error Message Reference.

Navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Products & Services
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

By subscribing to our mailing list you will always be update with the latest news from us.

INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER INSURANCE

Fidelis Management Inc., P.O. Box 711 Juris Building
Main Street, Charlestown, Nevis.

PHONE NUMBERS

  • +1-888-3698790
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Products & Services
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • GET SOCIAL
IciCoverage New Site

© 2017 All rights reserved. International Container Insurance.

TOP