Refuel as You Sail with Hydrogen

by Nick Savvides (American Shipper Freight Waves) ... Madadh (pronounced Maddy) MacLaine, CEO of Zero Emissions Maritime Technology, Ltd. believes that hydrogen’s time has come. MacLaine is also a founding member of the Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association, which was established in 2018 to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels. “The most exciting development to my mind is, of course, the zero emissions zero fuel ships, or ships that produce their own fuel while underway. At Zero Emissions Maritime Technology we are working with several clients on designs for zero fuel ships. The concept is really fairly simple. The primary mode of propulsion is using wind as a direct renewable and then capturing any excess energy.”

That excess energy is first stored in batteries and then as hydrogen, using proton exchange membrane electrolysis, which separates hydrogen atoms from oxygen in water molecules. When this hydrogen is burned it produces water as exhaust, so it is green hydrogen in production and consumption. Some of the power will be used by an onboard desalination plant.

ITM Power produces proton exchange membrane hydrogen electrolyzers and is currently attempting to enter the shipping market through inland shipping and coastal vessels, which it believes offer the best opportunity to prove the technology.

Like MacLaine, ITM Power chief executive officer Graham Cooley believes that with certain vessel types, the ship can produce its own fuel. Unlike MacLaine he sees the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer based at a port, delivering the fuel when it is needed.

Hydrogen fuel will be generated through ‘Building Innovative Green Hydrogen Systems in an Isolated Territory’ (BIG HIT), a project based in the Orkney Islands, which provides power to the islands with the surplus added to the grid.

With more than 50 megawatts of installed wind, wave and tidal capacity generating more than 46 GWh per year of renewable power, the Orkneys have been a net exporter of electricity since 2013. Energy used to produce the hydrogen for BIG HIT is provided by the community-owned turbines on the islands of Shapinsay and Eday, two of the islands in the Orkney archipelago.

Approximately 30 percent of the energy produced by these turbines is wasted as the grid has a limited ability to absorb the excess power. By using this excess capacity to produce green hydrogen, the energy can be stored on land and used by the ships when necessary.

The technology for zero emissions ships is already available and it could start making a difference immediately, according to MacLaine.

“This is the thing that really gets me. In terms of design, zero emissions ships have been possible for decades. The only thing that is preventing us from making the switch is cost. But that cost can be dealt with through regulation. It’s a very simple formula. If we put a price on carbon emissions, the cost of zero emissions technologies and the requisite designs begin to become competitive,” explained MacLaine.

“The whole possibility of emerging economies producing their own fuels from renewable energy really then changes the balance to make zero emissions the most profitable option. That will be the tipping point when everything slides to zero emissions in one go,” said MacLaine.

ITM is looking at producing hydrogen to power existing vessels rather than designing new ships. Cooley believes that there are significant hurdles for hydrogen power to overcome, including the storage of hydrogen for larger vessels which can use significantly more space than current oil-based options.

Stored liquefied hydrogen must be maintained at about -250°C and at between 350 and 700 bar. But DNV GL believes that storage issues could be solved following the development of Kawasaki’s liquefied hydrogen tank for the maritime sector, which is based on tanks developed by Kawasaki for the storage of rocket fuel.

“It’s no secret that regulations will be required to create a level playing field for any technology competing with oil. Another barrier to green hydrogen, is the tax on electricity. Marine fuels are not taxed. Taxing the energy source puts green hydrogen at an unfair disadvantage; so by creating regulations and eliminating the tax on electricity destined for marine fuel, you’d go a long way toward making green hydrogen economically viable,” claimed Cooley. READ MORE