Shipping technology group ABB is targeting the development of megawatt-scale fuel cells through a tie-up with Hydrogene de France (HDF).
The new cooperation agreement envisions the joint manufacture of systems capable of powering ocean-going ships.
The alliance builds on an existing collaboration with Ballard Power Systems, which provides proton exchange membrane fuel cell solutions.
The new system will be based on the megawatt-scale fuel cell power plant jointly developed by ABB and Ballard, and will be manufactured at HDF’s new facility in Bordeaux, France.
Coming (fairly) soon?
Jostein Bogen, product manager for energy storage and fuel cells at ABB Marine & Ports, told TradeWinds: "We aim to have the large-scale fuel cell systems available for piloting from 2022.
"We foresee fuel cells being scaled up from a few hundred kilowatts to megawatts by 2022 to 2023."
He added: "This will make them a feasible power source for a greater variety of vessel types, including large, ocean-going vessels.
"Fuel cells are being produced at a larger scale, their cost is coming down, and they are becoming more compact. This is a technology that is progressing rapidly, and it will soon be helping the industry as a whole to meet its targets for CO2 reduction."
The systems can be retrofitted to a certain extent, he added.
"While it may not be feasible to transform a fully diesel-driven vessel into a 100% fuel cell driven vessel at this point in time, the systems themselves can be retrofitted.
"We are now looking into options for retrofitting fuel cell systems to enable zero-emission port calls."
Vessel design needs optimisation
Bogen said that in principle the fuel cells does not necessarily take space away from cargo, but the vessel design needs to be optimised around the new power systems and fuel type.
"We see short-distance shipping as the first adopters of this technology, but we also see it feasible for deep sea shipping, at least as an auxiliary power source," he added.
"It is only matter of time before the many advantages of fuel cell technology are within the grasp of the entire maritime sector."
The fuel cells themselves have a higher efficiency than combustion engines. And the technology can be deployed in combination with other systems to yield additional benefits, Bogen explained.
"For example, vessels that operate predominantly on diesel engines could employ fuel cells to boost efficiency and comply with regulations in areas such as fjords and zero-emission ports."
He added: "For vessels operating over longer distances, an application of fuel cells in combination with batteries can optimise the power plant, while ensuring the optimum lifetime and performance of fuel cells. We see batteries and fuel cell technologies going hand in hand."
Renewables in play
Fuel cells turn the chemical energy from hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction.
With the use of renewables to produce the hydrogen, the entire energy chain can be clean.
"HDF is very excited to cooperate with ABB to assemble and produce megawatt-scale fuel cell systems for the marine market based on Ballard technology," said Damien Havard, CEO of HDF.
"With the ever-increasing demand for solutions that enable sustainable, responsible shipping, we are confident that fuel cells will play an important role in helping the marine industry meet CO2 reduction targets," added Juha Koskela, managing director of ABB Marine & Ports.
"Signing the MOU [memorandum of understanding]with HDF brings us a step closer to making this technology available for powering ocean-going vessels."
ABB said fuel cells are widely considered one of the most promising solutions for reducing harmful pollutants.
They can already power vessels over short distances, as well as supporting auxiliary energy requirements of larger vessels.
