PBES’ Brent Perry and Erik Ianssen featured in the Norwegian publication TU, by Tore Stensvold. Bellow is our translated version.
OSLO COPENHAGEN: Erik Ianssen founder of Selfa Arctic can conclude that the world’s first electric fishing boat, Selfa El – Max1099, runs like clockwork. For a whole month, without interruptions, the electric fishing vessel has been fishing continuously and caught 35 tons of fish. “It is absolutely fantastic. It has caught a lot of fish too” says Ianssen.
Climate Activist
Ianssen has, since climate summit in 1997, aimed to bring down Norwegian greenhouse gas emissions. “I have as a primary objective to remove 10 percent of the annual consumption of diesel in marine use. Norway’s total sales of petroleum products is 8.9 billion liters, and shipping use approximately 800 million liters. It must come down” says Ianssen.
He is very happy about the recent decision by the Norwegian Parliament that all ferry crossings should be zero or low emissions when they are put out to tender. Parliament also demands that the government presents a plan to cut emissions in the coastal ship fleet.
Battery Cluster
A Norwegian battery cluster can help, and it is about to be built up. Norwegian departments of Siemens, ABB, Wärtsilä, and Rolls-Royce as well as some smaller companies are in the forefront of control systems development. Recently Ianssen and his company Selfa Arctic have teamed up with Brent Perry, who founded the battery company Corvus. Meanwhile, the consulting company ZEM (Zero Emission Energy) changed its strategy and started selling battery packs – in strong competition with Corvus and Norwegian Grenland Energy.
“It is quite natural that a cluster was built up in Norway. It is the Norwegian and Nordic markets that have been the driving forces” says technology director Egil Mollestad in ZEM to TU. Agrees Jacob Hauge at the Norwegian office of Corvus nodded approvingly.
“It is only positive if we get a strong cluster in Norway” says Hauge. Ianssen, Hauge and Mollestad are on the DFDS Seaways Crown board, where the “Technological development and operation of speedboats and ferries” at the Tekna conference is arranged. Participants who meet on the diesel-powered ferry are convinced that batteries are a “game changer”. “Now it goes fast. Ampere with a battery power of 1 MW was put into operation earlier this year. It is already planned for ferries and ships with a total of 115 MW installed capacity” says Ianssen enthusiastically. “It increased by 15 MW in just one week, from when I began preparing my presentation until today”, he says.
Canada First
The Canadian company Corvus has become the largest supplier of marine battery packs. Around 100 ships have batteries from the company, including the world’s first large car and passenger ferry, Ampere. The founder of Corvus had a disagreement with the Board, and is now working on new and better battery technology, according to Erik Ianssen. “This means a new and far better generation of batteries with better performance, particularly in terms of safety” says Ianssen to TU.
Mollestad says that they are now in the process of preparing the next generation of battery packs. “In the same volume, we will accommodate nearly double the effect, but with some increase in weight, says Mollestad. The ZEM battery packs will be installed in two Eidesvik vessels, they can be placed in a 20-foot container and get an energy density of 152 Wh / kg. There are 653 kWh for each of the vessels. Next generation receives an energy density of 206 Wh / kg, that is 1,580 kWh in a 20-foot container or battery compartment of corresponding size.
Ferries
Siemens and Bellona launched earlier this year, a report which estimated that 127 of 180 ferries can be replaced by battery ferries or converted to hybrid operation. Of the 127, 84 can use current battery technology. There are 61 routes which fit well, and are at shore for enough time that they manage to fully charge at each stop. Egil Mollestad in ZEM has not made specific calculations, however, points out what parameters must be considered before the battery ferries may be considered.
• What is the timetable? How much time to charge, what is the traveling time? The ferry should have at least 8-10 minutes docking time for fast charging.
• Loading profile: How much energy do you need to cross the bay? Length of stretch, sea and weather conditions play a part.
• Battery capacity: Must be sized based on the maximum load under demanding conditions – full load, bad weather.
• Shore power supply: is the grid close enough, is it designed for charging / fast charging? Is it necessary to have an alternative power supply like a battery bank?
Temperature and Charging
The lifetime of a battery is a question that depends on a number of factors, says Mollestad. Batteries lose capacity and probably have a life span of about 10 years. There are two-parameters that shortens the lifetime.
• Cycling power: The more you use the extremes, the more you wear out the batteries.
• Calendar effect: They lose capacity just by being there.
Temperature in charging status is also crucial. Batteries prefer, like us humans, between 20-30 degrees in the cells. The cells do not like to be fully charged, max 80 percent. An average of 50-60 percent is ideal.