What is the Smart Port Challenge?
The Smartport Challenge is an open innovation program that is part of an initiative initiated by the French Smartport in Med and numerous local actors: the Port of Marseille-Fos, the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan CCI and AixMarseille University.
The objective of this call for projects is to stimulate innovation around the port of Marseille with innovative solutions in many fields and to bring together large companies and start-ups around the same place of experimentation.
In total, 8 challenges were proposed by the organization:
- Challenge 1: Energy recovery from cruise ship wastewater (EDF, Winner: Acqua.Eco)
- Challenge 2: Promote the eco-piloting of cruise ships (State (DREAL) -Syndicat des —AtmoSud, Laureate: Implexe)
- Challenge 3: “River Cooling” environmental aspects demonstrator (Interxion-EDF -Dalkia Smart Building, Winner: My Digital Buildings)
- Challenge 4: Valorization of the sustainable initiatives of actors in the port of Marseille Fos (Hammerson —Les Terrasses du Port, Winner: POC Studio)
- Challenge 5: Control of ships and port infrastructures using IoT (Naval Group, Winner: Inouid)
- Challenge 6: Securing Smart Containers (Traxens, Winner: Anatsol)
- Challenge 7: Video images, AI and port fluidity (Port of Marseille FOSIvideo images, AI and port fluidity, Winner: Eura Nova)
- Challenge 8: Renewable energies for refrigerated containers (CMA-CGM, Winner: Hélion)
The challenge “River Cooling Environmental Aspects Demonstrator” by Interxion and Dalkia Smart Building
We decided to take up the challenge concerning the cooling solution for the Interxion MRS2 and MRS3 data centers. The objective for the project leaders was to demonstrate the eco-responsibility of their two new data centers in the port of Marseille and the associated River Cooling system.
The “River Cooling” system in these data centers is an innovative environmental cooling solution. It makes it possible to exchange calories with water from a former industrial installation in order to refresh data centers. The technology thus makes it possible to avoid the use of refrigeration units and to reduce the energy consumption of buildings.
The solution proposed by My Digital Buildings
In order to answer this problem in a simple way, we will work on the creation of a demonstrator to present the concept of River Cooling through the spectrum of the digital twin of a data center and its environment. We will adapt our visualization tool and the data presented to make them accessible to the general public in an educational and fun way. We will respond to this challenge with Interxion, EDF and Dalkia Smart Building who are collaborating with us on the project. Until September we will be in an experimental period, we will benefit from the support of thecamp, “an innovation campus to explore the future”, in order to prototype solutions and implement them. Finally, in October, the Smart Port Day will take place, which aims to promote solutions resulting from co-innovation.
We look forward to working on this exciting project!