by Nick Savvides (Freight Waves) … One company has gone a step further and is looking at developing the zero-fuel ship. That is a vessel that creates its own fuel as it moves. … 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.”
…
Proton exchange membrane hydrogen electrolyzers
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.
Proton exchange membrane technology is not new according to MacLaine; small-scale usage has been around for many years. “We’re just scaling it up to a megawatt size so that we can begin to have a significant impact on emissions reductions in commercial shipping.”
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.
…
“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.
Cost comparisons and potential price declines
Cost estimates for hydrogen produced through electrolysis range between $3.50 and $8.30 per kilogram ($1,170 to $2,770/tonne of crude oil equivalent), averaging about $5.30 per kilogram ($1,770/tonne crude oil equivalent). This cost estimate includes production, compression, storage and transport, according to an industry study. As a reference, the price of oil at $70 per barrel is approximately $510 per tonne of fuel oil equivalent.
…
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. READ MORE