Electrical solutions and their role on vessels has been understood and part of vessel design for many years, including diesel-electric-propulsion, shaft generators, hybrid and now fuel cells. This capability is now offering a clear route to decarbonisation
and also the potential for zero emission vessels. By integrating electrical solutions in a vessel design or as upgrades a vessel’s propulsion system becomes more flexible – at its simplest it allows the internal combustion engine
to run at its optimal level no matter which fuel it is using and for the vessel to operate with zero emissions using battery power only.
As technology develops it is safe to say that when we combine this marine trend for electrical
propulsion and the move towards renewable energy sources such as wind, water and solar in the land based electrical grid in recent years, there is a logical move towards the integration of shore based green energy and vessels capable of utilising
a combination of shore connection and on-board generation that enable vessels to reduce emissions dramatically.
With this integrated electrical approach comes flexibility. This was once not a consideration in vessel design and as seen when
slow steaming was the favoured solution to reducing emissions for many vessels, this lack of flexibility meant some vessels will never be fully optimised. The use of electrical systems onboard will enable smarter propulsion systems that are more resilient
and flexible enough to adapt to future changing needs more easily.
In this webinar we discuss the future technologies and ecosystem approach to the electrification of the vessel and how it enables decarbonisation.
