Greener Waterway Infrastructure

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Grn WN addresses excess energy use and high carbon emissions Waterway Management Organisations (WMO’s) cause across NWE. They rely on pumping equipment and systems to keep waterways operational, but need to adapt and make this infrastructure more carbon efficient. Cost pressures restrict WMO’s from taking such steps. The project tackles this by jointly trialling such technologies on their behalf and more efficient ways of deploying them. Pumping water has a big carbon impact across NWE, accounting for 25% - 33% of WMO’s annual electricity use and c20% of total emissions. The project focuses on waterways in BE, FR, IE, NL, and UK, which are used for freight and for recreational uses and has 3 stages; -Audit current equipment/scope for improvement. -Pilot technologies and test their potential for adaptation. -Investment, procurement and business planning guidelines. GrnWN improves things by convincing other WMO’s to use the processes developed, and adopt (or adapt existing) greener technologies piloted. The estimated net change we aim to demonstrate is 778,000 kWh energy saved, and 195 Tonnes CO2 emissions reduced. Main outputs and pilots will be an infrastructure audit, technology trials, investment, procurement and business planning guidelines (a Greener Pumping Technologies Toolkit) and an established support network. GrnWN will roll these out to other WMO’s by encouraging them to carry out new installations as their existing equipment reaches ‘end of life’. Environmental groups, industry and water managers’ networks will act as advocates, promoting the outputs of the project and helping reduce barriers to wider uptake/greater public awareness. Long term effects will be greater take up of greener technologies by WMO’s outside the partnership, lower energy usage, reduced emissions and more WMO’s involved in taking forward the technologies demonstrated in the project.

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