Evaluation of the CO2 Emissions Reduction Potential of Li-ion Batteries in Ship Power Systems

Abstract

Greenhouse gas emissions are one of the most critical worldwide concerns, and multiple efforts are being proposed to reduce these emissions. Shipping represents around 2% of global CO 2 emissions. Since ship power systems have a high dependence on fossil fuels, hybrid systems using diesel generators and batteries are becoming an interesting solution to reduce CO 2 emissions. In this article, we analyze the potential implementation of Li-ion batteries in a platform supply vessel system through simulations using HOMER software (Hybrid Optimization Model for Multiple Energy Resources). We evaluate the impact of battery characteristics such as round trip efficiency, rated power, and energy capacity. We also evaluate the potential CO 2 emissions reduction that could be achieved with two of the most common types of Li-ion batteries (lithium titanate, lithium iron phosphate). Furthermore, we consider that the Li-ion batteries are installed in a 20 ft container. Results indicate that the lithium iron phosphate battery has a better performance, even though the difference between both technologies is lower than 1% of total emissions. We also analyze the potential emissions reduction for different parts of a mission to an offshore platform for different configurations of the ship power system. The most significant potential CO 2 emissions reduction among the analyzed cases is 8.7% of the total emissions, and it is achieved by the configuration including the main and auxiliary diesel engines as well as batteries. Finally, we present managerial implications of these results for both companies operating ships and ship building companies.

Sizing and Allocation of Battery Energy Storage Systems in Åland Islands for Large-Scale Integration of Renewables and Electric Ferry Charging Stations

“…These marine ships can be considered as moving power plants, and their power capacity varies in the range of tens of megawatts [2]. Traditional ships mostly operate on fossil-fuels and create a significant amount of toxic emissions and air pollutions [3] during navigation and when staying at ports [4]. The international maritime organisation [1] and EU directives [5] have set targets and goals to limit environmental pollution and encourage cleaner sources of power generation for ships as well as harbours.…”

A Perspective on Biofuels Use and CCS for GHG Mitigation in the Marine Sector

“…A better option for reducing the CO 2 footprint of shipping would be changing the propulsion technology or fuel, for which alternatives have been proposed. These include nuclear propulsion ( Ondir Freire and de Andrade, 2018 ; Schøyen and Steger-Jensen, 2017 ), fuel cells ( Tronstad et al., 2016 ; van Biert et al., 2016 ), batteries ( DNV GL, 2016 ; Peralta P et al, 2019 ), ammonia ( de Vries, 2019 ; Ash and Scarbrough, 2019 ), and various biofuels. These technologies have their advantages and disadvantages, which are briefly summarized in Table 1 .…”

Design and Analysis of New Harbour Grid Models to Facilitate Multiple Scenarios of Battery Charging and Onshore Supply for Modern Vessels

“…The AES concept has become the standard for large cruise ships, adopted by the major shipyards in the world [19], and is also applied on shuttle tankers, ferries and other special types of vessels [20]. Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) can play a significant role in the hybrid power system of vessels, serving various purposes such as increasing energy efficiency, improving dynamic performance, peak shaving and spinning reserve [16,[23][24][25][26]. BESSs for marine applications should have a high energy density and a large discharge time, combined with the characteristic of a flat voltage-drop curve versus time [25,27].…”

“…BESSs for marine applications should have a high energy density and a large discharge time, combined with the characteristic of a flat voltage-drop curve versus time [25,27]. Lithium-ion batteries are a well-established technology, having high efficiency, high power and high energy density [28,29]; these characteristics make their use feasible for electric vehicles [27,30] and for several types of ships in the marine industry [18,23,26]. Moreover, the flexible charging patterns can be used for the smart charging systems of BESSs to enable higher penetration of renewable energy resources [31,32].…”