High Energy Density News

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has shortlisted 11 proposals, submitted by seven companies and consortia, to advance designs and promote adoption of full electric harbor craft (e-HC) in Singapore.The announcement follows call for the expressions of interest (EOI), launched by MPA) in 2023, which yielded 55 proposals from 32 international and local companies and consortia.The results signal high interest and strong confidence by global and local participants in the development of e-HC in Singapore.Of the 11 e-HC designs…

Developer of maritime battery systems EST-Floattech has received an investment of 4 million euros from Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam and existing shareholders Rotterdam Port Fund, PDENH, Ponooc, and Yard Energy.Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam is investing 3 million euros, the fund's first investment in maritime battery systems. The existing shareholders are jointly investing 1 million euros.The announcement was made by Chantal Zeegers, the Alderman for Climate, Building, and Housing in Rotterdam.

Hy2gen, the global developer, financier builder, owner and operator of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-based e-fuels plants, and Amogy, the provider of ammonia power technology, today have signed an MoU to collaborate in the field of renewable ammonia.The agreement encompasses the pooling of resources to advance the use of renewable ammonia as a maritime fuel, participate in joint development projects and secure the safe usage of ammonia on board maritime vessels.Amogy’s ammonia-to-power solution aims to decarbonize the hard-to-abate sectors…

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania is setting a record for the largest, lightweight battery electric ship in the world with a new 130-meter (427-foot) ro-pax ferry under construction for South American customer, Buquebús.The aluminum ferry will be the first fully electric vessel in South America when delivered in 2025, operating between Argentina and Uruguay. It will have a capacity for 2,100 passengers and crew and 225 cars and will feature a duty free shop of over 2,000 square meters (21…

Commercial maritime shipping has a fuel problem. While the industry has cemented its position as the essential piece of the global supply chain—moving more than 80% of all international goods by volume—its dependence on carbon-emitting fuel has come with a high cost.Maritime shipping is responsible for roughly 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization. The longer that ships continue to run on carbon-emitting fuel, the harder it will be to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and to prevent the worst damage predicted by climate scientists.

A first-of-its-kind ammonia-powered, zero-emission tugboat will be put to the test by Brooklyn, N.Y-based startup Amogy in late 2023.Having already successfully demonstrated its technology on an aerial drone, tractor and semi-truck, the ammonia power solutions company revealed in early March that it is retrofitting a scaled up 1-megawatt (MW) version of its ammonia-to-power system onto a tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. as a test run for its emissions-slashing power and propulsion technology in the commercial maritime sector.Once installed…

Ask the right government department in any G7 state and you’ll find funding to put battery power for your vessel. Beyond funds, new battery makers and system integrators are ironing out safety issues, and a growing number of giga-sized cell factories offer hope that costs will fall for marine energy storage, as ESS choice grows. Efforts are also underway to recycle rare earth elements and to augment or greenify staggeringly high plant electricity inputs. Apart from funding, the drivers of change include constraints on shipping in Emissions Free Areas like the fjords of Norway…

PowerCell Sweden AB will provide fuel cells to power Hydrogen One, the world’s first methanol-fueled towboat, one of the project partners e1 Marine announced on Wednesday.Hydrogen One is being developed by Maritime Partners LLC, using e1 Marine's methanol-to-hydrogen generator technology. Other project participants include naval architecture firm Elliott Bay Design Group as well as ABB, who will supply electrical power distribution and automation systems. The first-of-its-kind…

Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, launched Seanergy 2.0, a new lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system for full-electric and hybrid vessels. The system can be scaled to suit propulsion and other loads on board vessels including ferries, workboats and tugs, offshore support vessels, cruise liners and yachts.Seanergy 2.0 has high energy density of 130 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l), a compact solution for even the most restricted onboard spaces. Ship integrators can  use individual modules to build large-scale battery systems up to 1…

Hamburg Fire Fighting Vessels Dresden and Prag sport diesel-electric hybrid propulsion and battery systems from EST-Floattech.After the first 100 days of operation, operator Flotte Hamburg is reports it is satisfied with the two new firefighting ships Dresden and Prague: "Due to the full approval for the use of the EST battery system 'Green Orca 1050' on inland waterway vessels, which was already available at the start of the project, the first hybrid ships of the Hamburg fleet…

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) launched a new research consortium—the Future Energy Systems Center—to address the climate crisis and the role energy systems can play in solving it. Randall Field, Executive Director, discusses current research and the challenges ahead for the maritime sector.The reputation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is such that it can take mammoth issues — such as driving the world to net zero — head-on, and suddenly make the impossible…

Sea Change - America’s first hydrogen powered ferrySWITCH Maritime’s new 70-foot passenger ferry Sea Change is navigating uncharted waters as the United States’ first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell-powered, electric-drive ferry.The pioneering aluminum newbuild, constructed by Bellingham, Wash. shipbuilder All American Marine, Inc. (AAM), has been completed and was launched this summer, though permitting of hydrogen fuel systems for maritime vessels is still being worked out with the U.S. Coast Guard.“Legislation and laws for passenger safety did not exist yet for this type of vessel.

With DNV GL certification obtained in February 2021, the COBRA battery system from Becker Marine Systems can be used for a wide range of inland waterway and maritime shipping applications, and due to demand, Becker is expanding COBRA production at its Winsen (Luhe) location.Tailor-made for maritime, the COBRA system now has full certification including IEC 62619 and IEC 62620 and can now be installed on board inland waterway and ocean-going vessels. “We have achieved the highest…

North America is increasingly adopting energy storage systems (ESS) to use in combination with combustion engines or as the sole energy carrier in fully electric-powered systems.We clearly see a transition from ‘consideration’ to ‘execution’ of hybrid and all-electric maritime projects. Stakeholders want to explore how to make vessels more energy efficient and less polluting. Corvus Energy has deployed over half of the ESSs aboard vessels globally, totaling over 300 megawatt hours (MWh).In North America, Corvus has deployed 24 MWh of energy storage capacity, and there are 13 vessels under U.S.

UK-based HydroWing and Dutch tidal energy developer Tocardo are working on a solution that will convert tidal energy into hydrogen, store it and offload it - similar to an FPSO in the oil and gas industry - to overcome the intermittency as well as the transportation issues.The concept called the THyPSO (Tidal Hydrogen Production, Storage and Offloading) includes a floating platform housing 1 – 6 conventional bi-directional tidal turbines converting the tidal flows into electricity…

The US-based Taronis Fuels will be launching its first-ever production facility in Western Europe in the port of Amsterdam. The new site will be dedicated to the production of bio-based welding gas, a fuel type commonly used in the construction and shipbuilding industries.Taronis Fuels, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Taronis Technologies, decided on Amsterdam on account of its strong focus on sustainability and innovation, combined with a fertile sales market due to its proximity to the sea, good port-hinterland connectivity, and aviation links.The process of cutting steel (including bar and plate elements) with welding gas (also known as acetylene gas) involves the use of ultra-high energy density in order to ensure consistently high flame temperatures.

Peter Svartsjö at ABB discusses the benefits of water-cooled motors for marine applications that require megawatt levels of power, including space saving, increased energy efficiency and reduced maintenance needs.Electric motors run several main functions on marine vessels – from propulsion and thrusters to deck handling equipment such as winches, anchors and pumps. This makes them mission-critical for ship owners and operators, as their reliability and performance can have a…

Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni has activated the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC), offshore Ravenna, capable of converting energy generated by waves into electricity, which will in the future enable Eni to convert mature offshore platforms into renewable energy generation hubs.The pilot plant was installed at the Ravenna offshore site by Eni’s Central Northern District and has been integrated into a hybrid smart grid system featuring photovoltaics and energy storage.It reached a peak power output of over 51 kW, or 103% of its nominal power. This technology is suitable for powering medium and large offshore assets and…

Robert Allan Ltd. has developed a new all electric pilot boat for service involving short trips where the run to the ship is 5 nautical miles or less.An aluminum version of its steel predecessor, the RAlly 1600-E boasts a fully electric twin screw drivetrain and a substantial bank of high energy density batteries that are recharged from shore power. Twin small auxiliary generators give “get home” and range extension capability but are normally not running. The vessel runs quietly and emissions free and is capable of reaching speeds up to 20 knots.According to the designer…

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) won a contract from the U.S. Navy through the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (DOTC) to develop advanced, high energy density capacitors for use in High Power Microwave (HPM) systems. GA-EMS is applying advanced technologies to create high energy density capacitors that will enable the deployment of HPM systems on smaller and more tactically relevant Navy platforms. GA-EMS is leading the research, development and demonstration of high energy density capacitor technologies that enable more powerful, compact system designs for a broad range of next generation land and sea-based platforms and directed energy applications.

Growing interest in hybrid-electric power systems is expanding the search for new propulsion and energy-storage systems in the workboat sector, where compliance with emerging environmental regulations and a relentless pursuit of operational efficiency are driving change. To meet demands for cleaner more efficient power, owners are examining the potential for less conventional methods of energy generation and storage – such as fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, super-capacitors, flywheels, wind and solar – to propel their vessels.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) signed a contract with Lockheed Martin to provide Lithium-ion Fault Tolerant (LiFT) battery systems for use on U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) new Dry Combat Submersible (DCS), a long endurance delivery vehicle capable of transporting divers in a dry environment. The GA-EMS LiFT battery system will power the DCS propulsion and internal support systems. “Our unique solution provides the energy needed to safely propel and power the DCS at the distances and depths required to deliver personnel to their mission destination,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. LiFT battery systems are high energy density solutions for both manned and unmanned underwater vehicles.

The Next Generation Marine Power & Propulsion event was held in the Grand Harbour conference venue looking out over the Port of Southampton where cruise ships, oil tankers and the world's largest container vessels ply their global trade. The event brought together a broad and unique marine industry group from the UK, EU and US. A dynamic program, including three keynote speakers and 20 presenters, highlighted the latest technology and opportunities for the maritime sector worldwide – and the future for next generation marine power certainly looks bright.