How to decarbonize your ship - general cargo ship with battery hybrid

Oct 6

Make a business case for a battery pack to power your general cargo ship while at berth

This case study examines a general cargo ship with an auxiliary engine of 116 kW that is outfitted with a battery to make it a ‘battery hybrid’ while at berth. The battery pack powers the ship for several hours while idling or moored and is recharged using the auxiliary engines. Cost savings generally occur with an average engine load below 50%, but are mostly dependent on engine maintenance costs, spares and consumables as well as total battery pack costs. This case study is powered by our preferred partner Royal Roos, who can support you with the engineering and refitting required to install a battery pack on board your vessel. Use the Battery Hybrid Single Engine Tool to make your own business case.

The case study is called ‘General Prius’. Average engine load is assumed 18% while idling, resulting in an average power demand of ~20 kW.
A CO2 reduction of 100% is achieved while the engine is turned off (evidently) but overall CO2 reduction is 30% because the battery pack needs to be recharged by the aux. engine itself.
CAPEX costs are estimated at €150k, but depend heavily on battery cell price, inclusion of manhours as well as vessel conversion required.
OPEX is reduced by over 50%, mainly because of engine maintenance savings, thereby achieving annual savings in the order of €20k-€30k. It is recommended to investigate a leasing or rental construction to negate CAPEX-out and still benefit from a clean, silent ship while at berth.

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How to decarbonize your ship - battery hybrid + varying engine load

This case study also examines a general cargo ship with an auxiliary engine of 116 kW that is outfitted with a battery to make it a ‘battery hybrid’ while at berth. Again the battery pack powers the ship for several hours while idling or moored and is recharged using the auxiliary engines. This time however, engine load is varied in different loading scenarios to determine the impact of different operational profiles on the business case.

How to decarbonize your ship - general cargo ship with battery hybrid

Overview of Shore Power Sockets and Plugs - IEC/IEEE 80005

IEC/IEEE 80005 is the main standard for shore power. This standard categorically divides shore power plugs and sockets into low voltage shore connection systems (LVSC < 1 MVA) and high voltage shore connection systems (HVSC > 1 MVA). LVSC systems are governed by IEC/IEEE 80005-3 for operability and IEC 60309-5 for dimensions. HVSC systems are governed by IEC/IEEE 80005-1 for operability and IEC 62613-2 for dimensions.

Mobilyze Renewable Energy Units (HBEs) with Robert Gunsing

Renewable Energy Units - Hernieuwbare Brandstof Eenheden - are a Dutch system of certificates based on the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). Under the system, parties that produce liquid fossil fuels for transport have an obligation from the government to purchase REUs. Per year, €1 billion REUs are traded in the Netherlands. You can earn between 4.5 and 18 eurocents per kWh ‘sold’ to a vessel, for example when using shore power.

First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Inland Waterways + Shore Battery

This is a case study on the ‘Skoon Skipper’, a general cargo large Rhine vessel, with an average of 40 [kW] power demand while moored to which a shore battery is applied. Batteries can help you comply with shore power regulations where no infrastructure exists with limited to no CAPEX investments. CAPEX is €0 for this case study as the battery pack is rented at an estimated €400 dayrate. Purchase cost for battery pack are approx. €350.000. This case study is powered by our preferred partner Skoon.

First Aid for a Sustainable Ship - Large Fishing Trawler

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Inside a Battery Container

The Corvus BOB (Battery On Board) is a standardized, class-approved, modular battery room solution available in 10-foot and 20-foot ISO high-cube container sizes. The complete system comes with battery, monitoring system, HVAC , TR exhaust, plus firefighting and detection system. The plug and play battery room simplifies integration into any system integrator’s power management system on board a ship. The battery cells have passive thermal runaway protection, and are type-approved according to DNV.

Maritime Battery Forum with Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker

During the lunch and learn, current forum Director Syb ten Cate Hoedemaker will exchange knowledge and experience from the usage of batteries within the shipping and offshore industries. You will learn which batteries will suit your vessel, plus discover the costs and payback for different operational modes. Which battery suits your vessel, your needs, your operational profile? This is the key question discussed in this lunch and learn with Maritime Battery Forum.

Battery for inland vessels

In February 2022, Skoon placed a battery system on Noordereiland for the Port of Rotterdam to boost shore power for stationary inland vessels. Addressing power shortfalls, the battery supported shore power cabinets, successfully delivering up to 63A without tripping fuses, benefiting both vessels and residents. This solution also enabled supplying power to larger ships, aligning with sustainability goals and showcasing potential expansion across the city center.

Hydrogen Powered Propulsion for an Offshore Crane Vessel

This thesis performs a technical, economical and environmental feasibility study of three dense hydrogen carriers as a fuel to power the largest semi-submersible offshore crane vessel in the world – Heerema’s Sleipnir.

Get Ready for the Alfa Lift, an Electric-Hybrid Heavy Lift Crane Vessel

The Alfa Lift, a new build heavy lift crane vessel owned by Offshore Heavy Transport, is on track to enter service by early 2022. The vessel features a 3,000 ton main crane, 10,000+ m² smart deck which can be fully submerged to a depth of 15 meters and a electric-hybrid battery system made by Kongsberg.

Wärtsilä 54 MW Power Barge

In 2020, Wärtsilä was awared a combined contract by Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) for a barge-mounted 54 MW / 32 MWh energy storage system. The power barge consists of ten Wärtsilä GridSolv Max systems, supported by the the GEMS energy management platform. Total costs of this power barge are estimated at €16M for the battery packs plus €8.1M for the power equipment excluding engineering and installation.

Battery Recycling, made by Northvolt

Northvolt has partnered with Hydro to establish a first-of-its-kind battery recycling facility. The recycling plant will come online in 2021 in Fredrikstad, outside of Oslo. At commissioning, the Hydro Volt plant will have initial capacity to process more than 8,000 tonnes of batteries per year – roughly the equivalent of 23,000 moderately sized EV batteries. Northvolt is aiming for 50% recycled material in new cells by 2030.

EV Battery Prices Plunge 89% in Ten Years

The price of a lithium-ion battery pack used to power an electric vehicle has plunged 89% in the last decade, from $1,100 per kWh to $137 per kWh. Marine batteries still cost significantly more, ranging between $800-$1,000 per kWh for retrofits to $500 per kWh for newbuilds. DNV expects the cost of batteries to be reduced by 56% by 2025.

Webinar - Kongsberg Hybrid Solutions

A webinar on hybrid propulsion systems for offshore giving an introduction to a selection of our hybrid battery solutions and the advantages they offer.

The Big Friendly Hybrid Giant

The North Sea Giant, a Norwegian offshore construction vessel, is the first DNV class-approved ‘hybrid’ DP3 vessel with three batteries on-board that have a total capacity of 2.034 kWh. The batteries have been installed in an upgrade and serve the purpose of spinning reserve, peak shaving and load leveling. Since then, fuel consumption is reduced in all operational modes with over 2 million liters of diesel per year, saving up to 30% fuel.

Batteries that charge up to 80% in 15 Minutes

Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape is building a solid-state lithium metal battery for electric vehicles that it says should allow a car to charge to 80% of its full capacity in 15 minutes.

Hurtigruten’s New Hybrid Ships

Designed in 2017 and launched in 2018, Hurtigreten has launched two new hybrid cruise vessels, the MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridjof Nansen, that can sail fully electric for up to 30 minutes. Not only will it significantly reduce emissions, a hybrid system is also extremely quit. Arctic exploration has never been so much fun!

Tesla’s Battery Day from a Maritime Perspective

Using Tesla’s announcements of Battery Day, DNV expects the cost of batteries to be reduced by 56% (measured in $/kWh) by 2025. Worldwide, DNV predicts that passenger electric vehicles are likely to start outselling their internal combustion engine counterparts from 2032 onwards. In North America, Europe and China this will take place well before 2030. Tesla’s success could spill over from land-based vehicles into adjacent transport sectors. On the assumption of success on all fronts, Tesla will achieve the critical battery density for short range electric airplanes – namely 400 Wh/kg with high cycle life.

What are Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries?

Solid-state lithium batteries do not have a traditional anode, but one made up of pure lithium when charged.

Making the Impossible Possible

This blog sketches a vision on how to convert the largest crane vessel in the world - Sleipnir - owned by Heerema Marine Contractors, to a zero-emission vessel. Several promising carbon reduction measures are combined which are technically viable and based on matured technology including electrification and BES, solar panels, synthetic fuels, CCS and possibly hydrogen combustion.

Ørsted and Maersk to Test Offshore Vessel Charger

Maersk and Ørsted are building a ‘power-buoy’ that can act as both a mooring point and a charging station for vessels, enabling them to turn of their engines when laying idle.

Recycling vehicle batteries

Helen Czerski went to Wendeburg in Germany to see if it really is possible to recycle the materials in vehicle batteries. She shows how this new and rapidly growing industry is developing and coming up with some interesting results, with lithium-iron batteries being economically recycled up to 70% (91% including graphite). Please send this to all the people you know who say 'what about when we throw all these fancy batteries into landfill.

The Trouble with Cobalt by Joe Scott

Electric cars have a dark secret - cobalt. The element that is in almost all lithium-ion batteries is often considered a conflict mineral because half of all cobalt reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a troubled region with over a century of instability. But is it as bad as the anti-EV crowd has led us to believe? What's the reality of the situation, and what are some of the solutions?

Amazing Power of North Sea Giant

North Sea Giant is amongst the largest and most advanced subsea construction vessels ever built. North Sea Giant is an efficient multi-purpose vessel with supreme deck and crane capacity, alongside a unique power system. Her propellers and thrusters are tailor made for delivering a wide variety of demanding marine operations in deep and ultradeep waters.

How the North Sea Giant saves two million liters of diesel every year

The North Sea Giant saves two million liters of diesel every year. It has installed three battery packs and a distribution system from Wärtsilä, which will dramatically reduce fuel consumption. The North Sea Giant is one of the world's largest construction ships, and was the first vessel in its class to have a hybrid system installed on board.

LFP Battery Fire Hazard by FM Global

This video shows the potential fire hazard of an 83 kWh Energy Storage System comprised of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. The ESS had an overall electrical capacity of 83 kWh and ≥ 95% state-of-charge. No protection systems were active. Three heaters plus a propane pilot flame were installed to ensure vent gas ignition (!). The results from this test may not be representative of other LFP based systems.

Transocean Spitsbergen goes Hybrid

In April 2019, the Transocean Spitsbergen successfully and sagely installed an electric Energy Storage System (ESS) of 5.6 [MW] on-board. This allowed the semi-submersible drillship to run in hybrid mode during DP3, reducing fuel consumption by about 15%. Economic incentives were provided in the fuel-clause and by the Norwegian NOx Fund.

The North Sea Giant - Mighty Ships

The North Sea Giant on Mighty Ships!

World’s ‘first’ autonomous, zero emission container ship

The world’s first zero-emissions, autonomous ship. This is a game changer and a result of collaboration with Kongsberg, a global technology company, that will eventually change the world of maritime transport.

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Vincent Doedee

How to decarbonize your ship - general cargo ship with battery hybrid

Make a business case for a battery pack to power your general cargo ship while at berth

Download Tool

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How to decarbonize your ship - general cargo ship with battery hybrid

Make a business case for a battery pack to power your general cargo ship while at berth

Download Tool

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