Distributed Power News

Robert Schluter served as an officer as part of the marine engineering team on board the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Mahan DDG-42 out of Charleston before transitioning to the business world and “general, corporate type work”. Today he serves as managing director at the third startup he’s helped build, e1 Marine.The company, a joint venture between Louisiana-based marine equipment lessor Maritime Partners, Irish tanker owner Ardmore Shipping and Schluter’s second startup…

South Korean shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has signed an agreement with Bloom Energy, a provider of distributed power generation systems, to design and develop fuel cell-powered ships. The two companies will work together to realize their vision of clean power for ships and a more sustainable marine shipping industry, Bloom Energy said in a statement on Thursday.“By signing this joint development agreement, SHI has a plan to develop eco-friendly ships that will lead the future of the industry,” said Mr.

GE Renewable Energy has announced that Heiner Markhoff has been named vice-president and CEO of Grid Solutions, effective March 20, 2020.According to a press release, Markhoff has a track record of growth, transformation and operational performance in diverse global businesses. He will be based in Paris, France. Markhoff replaces Reinaldo Garcia, who is retiring at the end of March after 35 years at GE.Jérôme Pécresse, President and CEO of GE Renewable Energy, said: “Building a strong Grid business is vital to our mission to make renewable energy affordable, reliable and accessible. With more than 28 years’ experience, Heiner is a seasoned leader who brings us global industrial knowledge and large-scale transformation experience.

Aberdeen based Kongsberg Maritime camera systems group has delivered a new large network IP CCTV system to Chantier Davie Canada for installation aboard the new Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Auxiliary Naval Replenishment Ship, known currently as ‘Project Resolve’. Project Resolve was established to develop an interim fleet supply vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The project purchased MS Asterix, a commercial containership, and is converting it into an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment ship that will be chartered by the Royal Canadian Navy.

Just over the horizon, a new ‘Integration Strategy’ promises offshore safety and efficiencies. Kongsberg’s Walk-to-Work technology is just the beginning. Maritime technology has come on in leaps and bounds since the turn of the century. We have the technology to keep an offshore support vessel on station within a 0.5-meter radius, even in the most severe weather conditions and sea states. We have the technology to manage power output, and control drives and thrusters to the ‘nth’ degree, providing safety and reliability for all ship handling operations. And we have the technology to deliver gigabytes of data to shore without paying for a helicopter or a mid-ocean drop off of hard drives or DVDs. So, what’s next? Arguably, the ‘big’ topic is unmanned vessels.

Today Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) decided in principle to launch a new wholly owned entity to integrally oversee its current businesses in material handling equipment centered on forklift trucks, engines and turbochargers. The new entity will serve as an independent management body to provide integrated and swift responsive oversight of these three core businesses. Under this initiative, MHI looks to generate synergy benefits, streamline its organization, and explore new fields as a way of significantly strengthening its competitiveness. Going forward, scale expansion and higher earning capacity will be pursued in a quest to achieve net sales reaching 1 trillion yen.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. (MHPS) have decided on a policy to transfer operations currently performed at MHI's Yokohama Dockyard & Machinery Works' Kanazawa Plant and MHPS's Yokohama Works (Kanazawa Area) to other business bases in Japan and overseas. The company's aim is to pursue consolidation and optimization of its production bases for each product category as a way of further strengthening its global competitiveness in terms of technology, costs and efficiency. The transfer initiative is scheduled for completion by the end of March 2016. Operations relating to MHPS's thermal…

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners is scheduled to vote Monday, June 30, to name Jon W. Slangerup, a veteran corporate executive with extensive experience in global logistics and environmental technologies, as the Port of Long Beach’s new Chief Executive. “After an extensive, nationwide search, the Board of Harbor Commissioners is very pleased to recommend the appointment of Jon Slangerup as the Port’s new Chief Executive,” said Harbor Commission President Doug Drummond. “He’s an extremely capable leader, proven team-builder and expert at managing a world-class organization. With the pending expansion of the Panama Canal and the aftermath of the 2008 recession, port communities throughout North America have been highly focused on maintaining and growing their business.

With China seeking to boost its production of unconventional gas supplies to meet Asia's growing energy needs, GE Power & Water's Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) and China's leading drill rig manufacturer HongHua Group (HK 196) today signed a three-year agreement for GE to supply its Waukesha VHP gas engines that will power drill rigs used in new shale gas projects in China. The announcement was made at the Offshore Technology Conference being held in Houston. In recent years, GE's gas engine factory in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has seen orders steadily increase as more countries seek to develop their domestic natural gas resources to increase their local energy independence.

As announced in April, Dr Ulrich Dohle today takes up his new duties as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Tognum AG. He succeeds Joachim Coers, who has left the company after nine years at his own request. In his new role, Dr Dohle will not only take on the typical duties of a CEO, such as corporate communication and strategy, but will also be responsible for R&D and quality management. In April, the Supervisory Board extended Dr Dohle's contract until December 31, 2015. He has been on the Executive Board of Tognum AG since 2009, previously holding the position of deputy CEO and CTO. One priority of the Executive Board's work will be to expand operations worldwide. At the same time, cooperation with Rolls-Royce and Daimler is to be intensified.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) concluded an agreement with ZGPT Diesel Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (ZGPT), a Chinese manufacturer of stationary and marine engines, under which MHI will license its KU gas engine technologies to ZGPT. The move is targeted in the near term at seeking further penetration of the KU gas engines in the Chinese market as that market continues to mark robust growth, and beyond the near term at entering the local market for gas-fired distributed power generation system, a niche that is expected to greet sharp expansion in demand going forward.

Shanghai MHI Engine Co., jointly established by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) & Shanghai Diesel Engine Co. (SDEC) now manufacturing. Shanghai MHI Engine was established this February based on a JV agreement signed in March last year between MHI and SDEC. The JV is capitalized at 200 million yuan (approx. 3 billion yen), with ownership divided equally between the two companies. It manufactures industrial-use diesel engines with power outputs in the 500 to 1,600 kW range under a manufacturing and marketing license from MHI. Leveraging MHI's advanced technology in industrial-use diesel engines and SDEC's vast domestic networks in procurement…

In the eyes of some, the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was the event that would signal the end of nuclear power for electrical power generation and would end any hope of the world utilizing nuclear-powered commercial vessels other than the Russian barge carrier, SEVMORPUT and numerous Russian ice breakers. Contrary to the afore mentioned opinion, I believe that not only are selected-route nuclear powered commercial vessels good for the marine industry but they…

Russian ice breakers. Contrary to the afore mentioned opinion, I believe that not only are selected-route nuclear powered commercial vessels good for the marine industry but they also offer the world the most environmentally friendly and potentially the most economical and efficient way of shipping trans-ocean cargo. Although the Fukushima Daiichi disaster was a disaster of major proportions, we must not forget that it was initiated by a much more deadly and destructive disaster; a tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.0 Richter scale underwater earthquake. The nuclear disaster that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi complex was not caused by inherent problems with the reactor…

Wärtsilä, the leading provider of power solutions to both the marine and energy markets, and Versa Power Systems (VPS), a leading developer of environmentally friendly, high-power solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), today announced a co-operative agreement to develop and integrate Versa Power's SOFC technology into Wärtsilä products. A key target of the agreement is to develop commercial Wärtsilä fuel cell products that generate power and heat for various applications in the distributed energy and marine markets. The agreement allows Wärtsilä to integrate VPS fuel cell stack modules, especially for larger power range products. For VPS, the agreement provides a dedicated partner with the ability to commercialize fuel cell products in large markets around the globe.

*  Attractive offer price of €24 per share for Tognum shareholders. (Stuttgart/London)  –  Daimler  AG,  the  global  automotive  company  and  Rolls-Royce Group plc, the global power  systems  company, announced  today  that  they  intend  to launch a public  tender offer  for 100 per cent of  the share capital of Tognum AG. The public tender offer is intended to be carried out by a 50:50 joint venture company. Listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Tognum AG is a premium supplier of engines…

Two recent European initiatives, both involving power systems supplier Wärtsilä Corporation, have given fresh impetus to the development and application of fuel cell technology aboard ship. The Finnish organization has entered into a pact with Danish firm Haldor Topsoe aimed at bringing cost-competitive fuel cell powering solutions to the market. It has also thrown its weight behind a major new, industry-wide European research program focusing on the technology for commercial shipping. Increased European efforts to make the concept a cost-acceptable reality in waterborne transportation follow an early take-up in the naval field. A 250…

Wärtsilä posted a first-quarter loss, hit by restructuring charges, but said it expected full-year results at its key power divisions to reach last year's level. Wärtsilä reported a January-March loss before extraordinary items of $3.92 million versus a profit a year ago. The result sent Wärtsilä's shares 5.2 percent lower to 23.60 euros in thin opening trade on a flat Helsinki bourse. The stock is eight percent below its year high of 25.65 euros. Wärtsilä booked a 30-million-euro restructuring provision to improve operations at its engine-building divisions, but said it would absorb that charge in the rest of the year, leaving operating results for the divisions on par with 2000.

The natural progression is underway from installation, design and commissioning of GE gas turbines aboard cruise ships to cooperation with users to further enhance operations. GE is focusing its efforts on optimizing maintenance and improved system reliability, the company reported today at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention. "The use of gas turbines to power cruise ships was long in coming, so it seems fitting that the four years since the world's first gas turbine-powered cruise ship set out on its maiden voyage have gone by quickly," said Karl Matson, general manager of GE Marine. Celebrity Cruises' Millennium is the first cruise ship to use gas turbines.

As hybrid electric cars become more commonplace on America’s highways, the Navy is working to bring hybrid electric ships to the high seas. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is developing innovative propulsion systems based on new fuel-cell technology for efficient generation of electrical power and greater design flexibility for future ships. To ensure a relatively quick transition to this promising technology, ONR is funding development of a method to extract hydrogen from diesel fuel. A diesel reforming system would take advantage of the relatively low cost of the fuel and the Navy’s established infrastructure for buying, storing and transporting it.

program within the area of fuel cell technology. The development program aims to bring to the market highly efficient, clean and cost competitive fuel cell products with power outputs above 200 kW for distributed power generation and marine applications. The program combines the competence of both companies. marine propulsion systems. development of planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. power generation needs. efficiency and outstanding reliability.

The surface combatant Integrated Power System (IPS) propulsion Engineering Development Model (EDM) for the U.S. Navy’s new Zumwalt-class DDG 1000 destroyer is being tested at the Land-Based Test Site (LBTS) at the Ships Systems Engineering Station, Philadelphia, PA. The new destroyer will be an all-electric ship. Unlike conventional arrangements where the installed prime mover devotes power to main propulsion, the Zumwalt-class ships will have two large gas turbine generators and two smaller ones that provide power that can be used for propulsion, weapons or ship services. Efficient power management makes the ship’s installed power available to all of the electric loads throughout the ship.

Wärtsilä and Hitachi Zosen have signed a business development agreement to develop and market fuel cell based power solutions for distributed power generation applications in Japan. The combined heat and power applications, which can be run on either city gas or bio gas, will feature the use of Wärtsilä's fuel cell technology. The applications will be developed in cooperation by both companies, and marketed by Hitachi Zosen. Wärtsilä and Hitachi Zosen will utilize and combine their experience in technology and business development to provide this new and competitive power solution for the Japanese distributed energy markets. Since Wärtsilä's fuel cells can efficiently utilize natural gas…