Electric aircraft are impossible because reasons, right? But we heard about the real ones from Rei. Today it is impossible electric ships, battery or solar powered, and also carbon-neutral synthetic-fueled ships—tugboats, ocean-going ferries, barges, yachts, even a few container ships.
Reasons
Jul 30, 2019 - Insufficient technological bandwidth and legacy ships may stall implementation of all-electric and hybrid vessel designs.
The Curious History of Electric Ship Propulsion
The battleship USS New Mexico (BB 40) [was] the first major warship to be electrically driven.
In 1919, General Electric touted its expertise in electric propulsion with a full-page advertisement in the Cornell Alumni News about USS New Mexico (BB 40).
With the help of vocal bureau spokesmen and, according to McBride, a host of luminaries such as Nicola Tesla who favored electric drive, public opinion swung toward approval of the new system and opposition from industry abated.
So now we have to overcome such objections all over again.
Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s[1] until the 1920s, when the internal combustion engine became dominant.
Just like early electric cars.
Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s[1] until the 1920s, when the internal combustion engine became dominant. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, interest in this quiet and potentially renewable marine energy source has been increasing steadily, especially as more efficient solar cells have become available, for the first time making possible motorboats with an infinite range like sailboats. The first practical solar boat was probably constructed in 1975 in England.[2] The first electric sailboat to complete a round-the-world tour, including a transit of the Panama Canal, using only green technologies is EcoSailingProject.
In 2010, the Tûranor PlanetSolar, a 35 metre long, 26 metre wide catamaran yacht powered by 537 square metres of solar panels, was unveiled. On 4 May 2012 it completed a 60,023 kilometres (37,297 mi) circumnavigation of the Earth in Monaco after 585 days and visiting 28 different countries, without using any fossil fuel. It is so far the largest solar-powered boat ever built.[38]
India's first solar ferry, a 75-passenger boat fully powered by sun, is under construction. It is expected to be completed by the middle of 2016.[24]
Japan's biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen and Nippon Oil Corporation said solar panels capable of generating 40 kilowatts of electricity would be placed on top of a 60,000 tonne car carrier ship to be used by Toyota Motor Corporation.[39][40][41]Which is but a drop in the ocean to a ship that will have a 60-80,000kw diesel engine actually doing the work.
The Monaco yacht company Wally has announced a "gigayacht" designed for billionaires torn between buying a mansion and a superyacht.[42] The Why 58 x 38 is designed to have an autonomous cruising range of 12,000 miles at 12 knots by means of 900m2 of solar panels which generate 150 kW to assist the diesel-electric motors and optional Skysails.[43]
List of battery-electric ships, charged mainly from shore power
Tûranor PlanetSolar
MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, known under the project name PlanetSolar, founded by the Swiss explorer Raphaël Domjan, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world[2] and launched on 31 March 2010.
In May 2012, it became the first solar electric vehicle ever to circumnavigate the globe.[3]
Today the boat is running for the Swiss foundation Race For Water.
The 31-metre boat is covered by 537 m2[4] of solar panels rated at 93 kW,[5] which in turn connect to two electric motors, one in each hull.[2] There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls.[6] The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to 10 knots (19 km/h).[1] The hull was model tested in wind tunnels and was tank tested to determine its hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The boat was designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt was finished.[7]
Aug 5, 2019 - Ports of Auckland in New Zealand has signed a contract with Damen Shipyards to buy the world's first full-size, fully electric port tug. The new 24.7-meter tug, a Damen RSD-E Tug 2513, to be delivered in 2021, will have a 70 tonne bollard pull, the same as the port's strongest diesel tug Hauraki, also built by Damen. She will be able to do three to four shipping moves on a full charge, or around three to four hours work. A fast charge will take about two hours.
Savings are projected at $2 million over the tug's lifetime.
Electric Container Ships Are Stuck On The Horizon - IEEE
Feb 27, 2019 - Why not get electric container ships? Actually, the first one should begin to operate this year: the Yara Birkeland, built by Marin Teknikk, ...
Ships have been “semi-electric” for many years They burn fossil fuels – diesel, heavy oil, gas oil. Traditionally, this type of drive is mechanical: The diesel engine drives a shaft that then moves the ship's propeller. The engine or a generator also generates electricity for all the electrical systems on the ship.
Aug 23, 2018 - August 23rd, 2018 by The Beam. Plans for an autonomous, purely electric container ship are making waves internationally as Norway positions itself as a global pioneer in alternative propulsion systems.
According to Yara International, the electric ship should able to replace a total of 40,000 truck journeys a year.
May 9, 2018 - The development of smart ships has already started and now the maritime market has taken it to the next level: all-electric ships
The world's first 100-percent electric barges are set to start chugging between the busy ports of Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam in Belgium and the Netherlands by the end of the year, cutting down the numbers of diesel-powered trucks transporting goods.
Sep 24, 2018 - It seems that electric vessels are gaining momentum, with many countries considering them as the future.
Whilst diesel and gasoline-powered vessels currently dominate maritime transportation, the market for pure electric and hybrid boats and ships is growing.
August 16, 2018 by Bloomberg. Illustration of a ship system setup with batteries.
Methanol
Methanol, historically known as wood alcohol, can be sustainably produced as a carbon-neutral biofuel. Most industrial methanol production uses CO and hydrogen (syngas) and catalysts. Syngas is usually made from methane, which is not renewable, but syngas can be produced from biomass.
World Maritime News: In Depth: Methanol Is Ready for Use as Marine Fuel
In preparation for the International Maritime Organization’s upcoming 2020 sulphur limit, the shipping industry started considering a number of solutions, including low sulphur fuel oil (LSFO), marine gas oil (MGO) and Exhaust Gas Treatment (scrubbers).
World Maritime News spoke to Chris Chatterton, Chief Operating Officer, the Methanol Institute, on the solutions offered to the shipping industry, with a focus on methanol as an option, and the costs which shipowners could face as of 2020.
The solutions on offer to the shipping industry range from the expensive and unpalatable to the elegant and ultimately highly sustainable.
Methanol is the option that has probably received the least coverage despite offering a pathway to a sustainable, 2020-compliant, low carbon future for the industry, achievable at manageable cost and with minimal changes to the operational profile of the majority of affected vessels.
Industry Welcomes Four New Ocean-Going Vessels Capable of Running on Methanol
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