Stories
Inspiring examples on maritime sustainability for shipowners and technology suppliers
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.
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.