Maritime Battery Forum: Maritime batteries are a mature technology to reduce emissions

With an increase in electric propulsion systems on board ships, the need for batteries to make ships as efficient as possible will grow as well, Mr. Larsen notes, adding that batteries are the perfect match for all alternative fuels.

SAFETY4SEA: Tell us a few words about the Maritime Battery Forum. What is the focus and goals of the Initiative? 

Lars Christian Larsen: The Maritime Battery Forum aims to accelerate emission reductions from shipping by promoting maritime battery solutions and by being the leading neutral advocate for maritime battery technology globally. The MBF provides a platform for sharing knowledge, best practices, experience and building a global network. We reduce financial, regulatory and knowledge barriers, and drive safety in operations. It is an arena for collaboration on technology development and standardization.

S4S: What are some of the key actions the Maritime Battery Forum do to promote the use of marine batteries as a storage facility for energy?  

L.C.L.: We try to be visible and a voice which are listen to through various platforms, events, seminars conferences and webinars. We run several collaboration projects where our members combine their efforts to work on topics such as battery safety, standardization of containerized batteries, and shore power. The Maritime Batteries 101 is our in-house developed introduction course on maritime batteries. This course covers topics such as the basics of lithium-ion batteries, maritime battery systems, on board battery safety, and how to size and select the right battery for your ship. We organize these sessions all around the world. And of course, our annual WATTS UP conference, the only conference dedicated to maritime battery technology, of which the next edition will be on 8 and 9 March in Rotterdam.

S4S: From your perspective, what are the key barriers that the maritime industry is currently facing with regards to a widespread adoption of marine batteries? What are your suggestions to turn these barriers into opportunities?

L.C.L.: We see financial, regulatory and knowledge barriers that we aim to reduce to promote the adoption of maritime batteries. Governments around the world are offering funding programs to deal with the financial barriers, but it can be difficult for many to find the access to these funds. Therefore we collaborated with the European Onshore Power Supply Association (EOPSA) to organize a webinar on funding in Europe, and we collaborate with Washington Maritime Blue, who help companies get access to funding in the US. Most of the large classification societies, DNV, LR, BV, ABS and the NMA, play an active role in the MBF, connecting the industry with the regulatory bodies to reduce the regulatory boundaries. Our webinars, collaboration projects and workshops are used to reduce the knowledge barriers. All marine batteries are dependent on charging and preferably by renewable energy. We therefore also promote offshore charging at offshore windmill parks and other offshore installations.

S4S: Where do we stand with the use of marine batteries? What is your feedback from the market so far?

L.C.L.: The time that batteries are mainly used on ferries is past us, and we see now that literally any ship type you can think of, comes in a battery powered version. The majority of these ships use batteries in hybrid or plug-in hybrid configurations, and that is also where we see the future for most ships. Now, most hybrid propulsion systems use diesel generators combined with batteries, but new technologies like Hydrogen fuel cells, Methanol or Ammonia, either need batteries to function, or can benefit from a performance or efficiency point of view to even out the load. So diversification of the market is one thing, both in ship types using batteries, as well as the types of batteries that they are using. With the development of new battery technologies, we will see even more diversification in types of battery systems being used. All these different technologies will make it more important for the MBF to make sure everyone in the maritime industry has sufficient knowledge of all the different available options to decarbonize their ships.

S4S: What are your projections with regards to marine batteries ? What do you expect in the next 5-10 years?

L.C.L.: First, it is important to remember that batteries are not a source of energy, it is a storage location for energy.  All batteries need to be charged.  There is not going to be one solution to decarbonize the shipping industry, and batteries with shore/offshore charging could definitely not provide the power and energy to all ships by themselves. Batteries are currently best utilized for the short sea segment. For the deep sea segment, only as supplement. Therefore it is important to invest in all different technologies that can help in providing clean energy to ships. The advantage of batteries is that there are not many other aids that can store and provide electricity as efficiently as batteries do.

With an increase in electric propulsion systems on board ships, the need for batteries to make ships as efficient as possible will grow as well. Batteries are the perfect match for all alternative fuels that are being developed, and their flexibility will help in developing the hybrid propulsion systems optimized for different types of ships with different types of operational profiles. We are seeing that the battery sizes that are being installed on board ships are increasing as well. The average battery capacity installed per ship increased by a factor 3 over the last 7 years. In 2023 the average installed battery capacity per ship will be around 1.4 MWh. With currently the largest batteries on board ships of around 10 MWh, it won’t be long before we will see batteries of 50 MWh or more sailing around the world, and who knows where it will go from there?

S4S: What is your wish list for the industry and/or regulators and all parties involved for the shipping industry following COP27 discussions?

L.C.L.: We all need to remember that shipping accounts for something in between 2,5 – 3% of all CO2 emission. Shipping shall and will do our part. Maritime batteries will be part of it, but in combination with “new” energy carriers.  However – what appears to be missing in the discussion and not least in the equation is the cost effect analysis in a broader worldwide perspective.  Shipping is widely international based. Main portion of tonnage either move from one continent to another on regular basis or within a region. Shipowner is dependent on the possibility of moving it from one region to another – pending business opportunity. As such the infrastructure for bunkering the energy carrier is vital.

Thereby an overview with clarity on the development plans and availability of shore side electricity and alternative fuels is needed. As it is not know in many places what will be available in terms of fuel or energy for powering ships, it is difficult for ship owners to make decisions on what technology they should focus on going forward. Also, a stronger focus on the short term building of bunkering infrastructure would be appreciated, as this is key for uptake of new energy carriers. By setting achievable goals in close cooperation with the industry , you give the market players possibility to plan and adapt.   All crucial elements to have sufficient uptake of new technology in the market. Whatever glasses you have on – green, brown or blue – we all have to remember that money talks and possibility for profit lead players to invest.

S4S: Do you have any projects/ plans that you would like to share with industry stakeholders?

L.C.L.: We are currently expanding our organization with a MBF Americas and MBF Asia hub. A significant amount of knowledge on maritime battery systems has been developed in Europe over the last decade, and the MBF aims to share this knowledge with everyone around the world. But it is not just sharing experiences and best practices that we want to offer to our hubs. We want to show the positive impact that a network like the MBF can have on the adoption of a new technology, and want to bring together companies both in the Americas and Asia to facilitate the required platform for support in this energy transition. At the same time, we see new ideas for maritime batteries being explored in both North America as well as Asia, that also can help to push our European members to explore the boundaries of what batteries can do for the maritime industry. We need all to work together to decarbonize our oceans as quick and sustainable as possible, and at the same time pay attention to the safety for everyone and everything involved. We also have ongoing projects for battery container standardization, safety aspects and promote shore charging facility investment particular in UK.

S4S: If you could change one thing that would have an either profound or immediate impact on industry’s green performance, what this one thing would it be and why?

L.C.L.: What we see as a potential measure with an immediate impact is to tax all the worldwide polluter equally, which make competition fair. Reward shipping companies who are willing to take aboard low emission solutions. We all say that we want to reduce our emissions, but companies have to make money to be sustainable in the long run. By making electricity, and alternative fuels cheaper,  available for ships through bunkering infrastructure, and increasing the taxes equally for all on fossil fuels, it will be a lot easier for ship owners to take the  step to change their fleet. It will be very important to give clarity on the longer term as well. If you want to make the step to renew or retrofit your fleet, you need to be sure of what the fuel or electricity prices will be in the future. If governments, regions, EU and so on could provide more security on future low / zero carbon energy prices, this would make it easier to make the decisions that are needed.  Moreover, a well to wake consideration need to be taken into account when considering and rate all energy carriers.  The outcome of such well to wake consideration will most likely tell us that we are in shortage of renewable electricity to produce many of the upcoming new energy carriers like ammonia, e-methanol and hydrogen.  In such equation we need to make improved plans and investment in research for low scale nuclear power plants on shore side first and investigate the possibilities in this context for the deep sea fleet.

S4S: What is your message to maritime stakeholders with regards to maritime decarbonization and a more sustainable future for the industry?

L.C.L.: The technology to reduce your carbon footprint is already available today, as the majority cannot  aim for zero emissions right away. It is okay to take it step by step, and there are affordable solutions available to improve your fuel efficiency and thereby reduce your emission by 10-20% already. Don’t wait for the invention of the perfect solution for powering all ships, as it will take time to mature. Try to understand what your options are, and what the right combination of technologies will be to get you where you want to be. Maritime batteries are a mature technology and will reduce your emission.

The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.