Since the 1980's there has been an explosion in the number and variety of electric propulsion ships being built around the world with everything from cruise liners to amphibious assault ships adopting electric propulsion. This technology revolution has occurred, largely un-noticed outside the marine industry. This paper will briefly describe what has transpired in recent decades, why the resurgence is occurring and what the future may hold for electrically propelled ships.
Aspects of terrestrial microgrids and ship power systems are examined. The work exposes a variety of technical synergies from these two power systems to effectively advance their technologies. Understanding their overlap allows congruent efforts to target both systems; understanding their differences hinders conflict and redundancy in early-stage design. The paper concludes by highlighting how an understanding of both systems can reduce the investment in research resources.
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