Op-Ed: AC or DC charging for marine vessels
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A few years ago, crossing open waters on batteries was pioneering technology for tailor-built projects. But as the technology has proven its benefits, we are now entering the next phase with many types of vessels capable of doing emission free operations. One of the vital hurdles we currently face for broader use is how we choose to provide a common charging infrastructure suitable for all vessels within a harbor or waterway. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The charging principles are the same regardless of chosen technology. It\u2019s a matter of operational choice. AC charging requires more equipment onboard, but it also gives the vessel full control of the charging sequence. This might be beneficial if the vessel is intended to operate at multiple locations during it\u2019s lifetime. If you have multiple vessels on the same route, the additional equipment must then be installed at each vessel. This is driving the cost up for the shipowners and adding weight and space requirements. These challenges points towards standardization of DC charging. Another driver is the potential to also serve heavy-duty land based transportation and port equipment nearby.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only about selection of technology. Cost, operational freedom, ownership of infrastructure and flexibility over a vessel\u2019s lifecycle are examples of factors that plays a crucial role as well. Shortly summarized, we can highlight that:<\/p>\n
With endorsement from IMO, the international shipping industry has successfully built up international standards for Shore Power.\u00a0 It\u2019s proven well by the fact that a European owned vessel with cargo from Asia can now connect to the power grid in U.S. and do its entire operations at dock on shore power only.<\/p>\n
AC Standards:<\/strong> IEC PAS 80005-3 is available for Low Voltage Shore Connections.\u00a0<\/p>\n IEC\/IEEE 80005-1 is available for High Voltage Shore Connections. This standard has annexes with guidance for specific vessel types, making it easier for ports and vessel owners to build up an international connection grid for vessels visiting multiple ports.<\/p>\n DC Standards:<\/strong> lEC\/IEEE P80005-4 is a new standard being developed for DC Shore Power up to 1,500 VDC. But there is limited public information about this standard yet, including timeline.<\/p>\n CCS & MCS standards<\/strong>:\u00a0These are primarily land-based standards but also being used by the maritime industry. As CCS (Combined Charging System) has capacity limitations, the Mega Charging Systems (MCS) standard is becoming increasingly relevant for marine vessels.<\/p>\n MCS has some significant differences compared to CCS. Example given, MCS charger cables are based on liquid cooling of the cables and plugs. As CCS typically stalls at 350- 400 kW, MCS has an architecture to provide charging power in the Megawatt range, with possibilities to reach 3.5 MW. Both standards are driven by CharIN (Charging Interface Initiative e.V.)\u00a0 An organization that brings together a large group of manufacturers, utilities and suppliers to align on global standards for charging electrical vehicles around the world.<\/p>\n It is possible for the maritime industry to repeat the AC shore power success stories for DC charging as well, but there\u2019s work that needs to be done. The good thing is that this is more about implementation than innovation, but it requires coordination between all parties being involved to approve this technology. Class, IMO and national maritime authorities typically represent the ship side, while shoreside installations depend on approval from local rules and regulations. <\/p>\n Traditionally, this has been \u201ctwo different worlds of standards,\u201d but they are inevitable getting closer to each other as the electrification process continues. That being said, there are some fundamental differences between a ship and for example an EV truck.\u00a0Grounding principles might be different between ships and trucks. Ships move, even when docked. Tides creates height difference, unless the charging docks are floating as well. The exposure to seawater and chafing are also more prominent for marine CMS.<\/p>\n Sveinung Odegard is the president of Zinus Power LLC<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The post Op-Ed: AC or DC charging for marine vessels<\/a> appeared first on Marine Log<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe difference between CCS & MCS<\/h4>\n