EFFORT - Electrification and flexibility services from Greenport North
Demonstration activities
The established models and methods in the project will be tested and verified in various demonstration scenarios during EFFORT.
Workshop: Key stakeholders co-create future energy solutions at the Port of Hirtshals
- EFFORT brought together key stakeholders from the Port of Hirtshals, local industries, utility companies, and the Municipality of Hjørring. The objective was to collaboratively shape the future of the port's energy system by defining the most relevant and valuable demonstration scenarios for the project to analyze and test.
Through expert presentations, open dialogues, and a tour of the port, the workshop focused on translating strategic goals into concrete actions. The discussions centered on three main areas:
- Developing concrete demonstration scenarios: Which technologies and control methods should we test to create maximum value for both the companies and the electricity grid?
- Mapping industrial symbioses: How can surplus energy—for example, heat from cooling systems—from one company become a valuable resource for another?
- Identifying potentials for sector coupling: How can we create an intelligent interplay between the port’s electricity, heat, and transport systems to increase efficiency and flexibility?
The valuable insights and ideas from the workshop now form the foundation for the technical analyses and the energy system models being developed by EFFORT.
From model to value: Analyzing the flexibility potential at the Port of Hirtshals
In EFFORT, we don't just build theoretical models—we test and validate them against real-world conditions. Through close dialogue with the port's companies and by using real-time data from our data hub, we are creating a precise digital twin of the port's energy system.
With these models, we can simulate and analyze various strategies for intelligent energy management. The results are clear: there is a significant potential to reduce costs and relieve strain on the electricity grid.
The analyses also spark a key discussion: How can energy storage—in the form of batteries or thermal storage—play a pivotal role? Our models demonstrate how storage can not only manage peak loads but also create new economic opportunities by trading flexibility on the electricity market.
These results provide a solid, data-driven foundation for making the right investment decisions for a green and flexible port of the future.
See how we optimize flexibility in practice
Explore the potential for energy efficiency through sector coupling
The data hub is live: The port's digital hub is activated
Access to precise, real-time data is crucial for managing and optimizing a complex energy system. The establishment of EFFORT's local data hub is a key milestone for the project.
We have established a direct IT connection to the participating companies at the Port of Hirtshals, which now send data on their electricity, heat, and water consumption directly into our cloud-based platform. This data stream enables us to:
- Test and validate the data hub's functions with real, operational data.
- Ensure robust data collection, storage, and sharing, which is the foundation for all further analysis.
- Create the foundation for the digital twins and intelligent control models that will uncover the potential for flexibility and energy efficiency.
With a fully functional and tested data hub, we now have the digital foundation in place to transform data into real value for the port and the green transition.
Read the technical report on the data hub's design, implementation, and test results
See how the data hub is part of the port's overall energy architecture
Get our guide: How to get started with a data hub in practice, see under Collection and processing of data at the EFFORT homepage
From theory to market: Testing the value of flexibility in the real world
A model only has real value when it proves its worth in practice. That is why continuous testing and validation of our methods is a core part of the EFFORT project. By using real-time data from our data hub, we simulate how the flexible energy potentials at the port can be activated and create value.
But simulation is not enough. Our analysis undergoes a crucial double validation from two key experts in the energy system:
- Market Validation (Centrica Energy Trading): Does the calculated flexibility have real commercial value? Can it be traded on electricity markets, such as the spot or balancing markets, and can it create a new revenue stream for the companies?
- Grid Validation (Nord Energi Net): Can the flexibility be used to stabilize the local electricity grid in practice? Does it help to avoid congestion, and can it postpone or even eliminate the need for costly grid reinforcements?
This double validation ensures that EFFORT's solutions are not only theoretically optimal but also practically applicable and economically sustainable for both the participating companies and the grid.
How flexibility creates value on the electricity market
Get our guide: How to get started with flexibility on the electricity market (in Danish only)
From analysis to action: A strategic roadmap for the Port of Hirtshals
The EFFORT project culminates in the development of a strategic roadmap that translates our technical analyses into a concrete, shared plan for the future energy system at the Port of Hirtshals.
In close collaboration with the port's industries, utility companies, and the Municipality of Hjørring, we ensure that the roadmap is not only technically solid but also grounded in local realities and business potentials. Together, we identify the most promising opportunities for:
- Sector coupling across electricity, heat, and future Power-to-X facilities.
- Utilization of surplus heat from industrial processes.
- Establishing industrial symbioses, where one company's byproduct becomes another's resource.
The roadmap is therefore not just a report, but a strategic navigation tool that provides decision-makers with a clear, data-driven basis for future investments in a green and competitive port.
Dive into the technical analyses behind the roadmap
See the future scenarios the roadmap is built on
Get our roadmap for the future energy system at ports and industrial areas (In Danish only)