Eco Marine Power announced that it has recently received Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK of Japan (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai) for its Renewable Energy System for Ships – “Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy with EnergySail”. The Japanese company considers this is a significant step towards the realization of a zero-emission power and propulsion solution for shipping and will lead to commercialization of the complete system.
Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) is an advanced integrated system of rigid sails, marine-grade solar panels, energy storage modules, charging system and marine computers that enables ships to tap into renewable energy by harnessing the power provided by the wind and sun. The array of rigid sails are automatically positioned by a computer system to best suit the prevailing weather conditions and can be lowered and stored when not in use or during bad weather.
The rigid sails are based on EMP’s EnergySail technology and these renewable energy devices can even be used when a ship is at anchor or in harbour. Each EnergySail can be configured with a mix of sensors, photovoltaic panels or other power generation devices.
Included in the scope of the AiP certification from ClassNK are two main sub-systems:
- The EnergySail: a rigid sail type wind-assisted propulsion system that includes the sail structure, driving system and automated control system.
- Aquarius Marine Solar Power: an energy management system to utilize solar power that includes photovoltaic (PV) modules, batteries, electrical system and control system.
Together these sub-systems are integrated to form Aquarius MRE and within this system architecture various other equipment and sensors can also be connected.
