ABB announced that it is going to deliver the first fuel cell system to Royal Caribbean. The system will be used on board a Royal Caribbean International vessel and will be the first fuel cell system to provide an energy source for a cruise ship.
Fuel cells don’t involve combustion and they are converting fuel directly to electricity and heat.
ABB will install a pilot system which will generate 100 kW of energy. Furthemore, a proton exchange membrane (PEM) pure hydrogen fuel cell engine will be used from Ballard Power Systems.
“At ABB, we believe that the next generations of vessels will be electric, digital and connected. Fuel cell technology matches exactly that. Fuel cells have significantly higher efficiency than combustion engines and allow energy to be concentrated more densely than in petroleum fuels. If you use renewables to produce the hydrogen the entire energy chain is clean and truly emission free,” said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports.
From its part, Royal Caribbean aims to take the smoke out of the smokestacks, according to Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President of Maritime and Newbuilding, Royal Caribbean Cruises.
The debut installation will be presented in New York, from 8 to 10 of November.
