At its inaugural meeting on February 21, 2018, the Executive Board of VMDA Motoren und Systeme appointed the CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, Dr. Uwe Lauber, as its new chairman. The Board of Directors has a clear focus for its upcoming term of office: “With the Maritime Energy Transition and Power-to-X as core topics we have central points of the energy turnaround on the agenda,” emphasizes Lauber and adds: “Industry already offers many of the necessary technologies today and is now ready to engage in dialogue with politics and the public on their commitment and development. ”
With last year’s initiative “Maritime Energiewende”, the trade association had initiated discussions on how shipping can make its contribution to successful climate protection in the spirit of the Paris Agreement. The production and use of synthetically produced fuels with the help of “Power-to-X” processes makes it possible, in the view of the association, to move away from fossil fuels and to achieve climate-neutral economies in the long term.
In his role as CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo, Lauber has been committed to the establishment of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and other low-emission marine fuels for many years. “With the Paris Climate Agreement, the international community has set a real but very ambitious goal,” said Lauber. “Shipping, too, must and wants to make its contribution. But it is clear: Complete electrification is technically not feasible, especially in the area of container
shipping. By contrast, the use of LNG as fuel drastically reduces harmful emissions. For example, nitrogen oxide and sulfur emissions are almost completely eliminated and CO 2 emissions are reduced by around 20 percent. ”
In the long term, the natural gas used should be climate-neutral through Power-to-X technologies, according to Lauber. “Power-to-X is indispensable for the sustainable logistics of the future. Because the technology not only enables the seasonal storage of renewable energy, but also the decarbonisation of fuels and thus the long overdue sector coupling of energy and transport change. German industry is the world leader in development, but there is still a lack of political backing. The VMDA engines and systems will therefore be particularly committed to this topic”.
MAN Diesel & Turbo is one of the pioneers in the implementation of power-to-gas technology. Already in 2013, the company realized a power-to-gas plant in Werlte. As part of the Audi e-gas project, the plant has since been producing synthetic natural gas from wind energy on an industrial scale.
The determined development of sustainable solutions for energy production and maritime transport is also at the heart of the company’s strategy for the future, which was adopted at the end of 2017. By the year 2030, MAN Diesel & Turbo wants to align its own business with climate-neutral technologies. In addition to storage, hybrid solutions will be in the foreground, such as decentralized energy supply or ship propulsion.
