On board, fuel cells on seagoing vessels can provide an alternative to the often economically critical shore power supply for supplying the auxiliary power units (APUs) with electricity and heat. However, developments to date are still at laboratory level and were first tested in the SchIBZ project. The present project follows on from this research. The main technical task of the project is to develop components to complement the known SOFC technology for use in highly integrated, fully automated systems. This includes the design and individual testing of new system components as well as the testing of laboratory systems with approximately 10kW of electrical power and the planning preparation of more powerful systems (200kW+). Such systems are to be executed and tested in operation in further projects with users (shipping companies) starting in 2020/21.
The knowledge already gained forms the basis for the activities within the framework of the innovation cluster e4ships 2.0, offering a wide range of adaptation potential for the further development of components, their integration into a system and preparation for market launch. Compared to previous projects, this overall project is characterized by the fact that the energy supply of APUs for large seagoing vessels is linked to overall concepts for inland vessels.