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Finland and Japan are Studying Hydrogen Powered Ship Designs

30 Nov 2020

An increasing number of projects are seeking to develop hydrogen-based power technologies that can be commercially viable for the shipping industry. Among the projects that are advancing is one in Finland studying the production of green hydrogen for use in the ferries, while a public-private partnership was recently formed in Japan to study and develop hydrogen fuel cells for the commercial shipping industry.

 

One of the fields of study is green hydrogen. In Europe, they are looking at coupling with the offshore wind power generation sector to produce hydrogen from renewable energy. Driven by wind energy, the concept is that the electrolysis process that splits water into the elements of hydrogen and oxygen would create renewable energy.

 

In Finland, the power company Flexens Oy is completing a feasibility study that focuses on the creation of green hydrogen that would be used to fuel ferries in the Aland archipelago. Due to the excellent conditions for wind power production in Åland, Flexens expects that green hydrogen can achieve production costs competitive with fossil fuels. The feasibility study looks at combining the production of green hydrogen with fueling the region’s ferries.

 

With 90 inhabited islands and a population of 30,000, the region relies on its ferries. A research study found in 2015 that maritime transport accounted for about 70 percent of Aland’s emissions. The study estimated that the emissions amounted to 753 thousand tons of carbon dioxide equivalents each year.

 

The feasibility study, which is expected to be completed in November, provides the first estimate for the technical and economic feasibility of the concept covering hydrogen production at a wind farm and using the hydrogen in fuel cells to power ferries in the Åland archipelago. For the next phase of the project, Flexens working with the Government of Aland has submitted a grant application to the EU Innovation Fund to advance the project towards investments. They are currently projecting that the project could be realized with the first applications of the technologies possible in 2024.

 

The following year, 2025, a Japanese partnership hopes to operate its first hydrogen fuel cell vessel. The plan calls for an approximately 100-foot long ferry able to carry 100 people at speeds of over 12 mph. Kansai Electric Power, Iwatani, Namura Shipbuilding, the Development Bank of Japan, and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology are collaborating on the feasibility study for the vessel powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The project will also incorporate the development of the fueling to supply hydrogen to the vessel.

BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE 11-27-2020 06:27:02

Comments (1)

rohan ยท 3 years ago

excellent

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Today
8:03am
Hi Jenna! I made a new design, and i wanted to show it to you.
8:03am
It's quite clean and it's inspired from Bulkit.
8:12am
Oh really??! I want to see that.
8:13am
FYI it was done in less than a day.
8:17am
Great to hear it. Just send me the PSD files so i can have a look at it.
8:18am
And if you have a prototype, you can also send me the link to it.

Monday
4:55pm
Hey Jenna, what's up?
4:56pm
Iam coming to LA tomorrow. Interested in having lunch?
5:21pm
Hey mate, it's been a while. Sure I would love to.
5:27pm
Ok. Let's say i pick you up at 12:30 at work, works?
5:43pm
Yup, that works great.
5:44pm
And yeah, don't forget to bring some of my favourite cheese cake.
5:27pm
No worries

Today
2:01pm
Hello Jenna, did you read my proposal?
2:01pm
Didn't hear from you since i sent it.
2:02pm
Hello Milly, Iam really sorry, Iam so busy recently, but i had the time to read it.
2:04pm
And what did you think about it?
2:05pm
Actually it's quite good, there might be some small changes but overall it's great.
2:07pm
I think that i can give it to my boss at this stage.
2:09pm
Crossing fingers then

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