In a most recent demonstration of the uptake of fuel cells, PowerCell Sweden received its first marine order for two PowerCell S3 prototype stacks this month. Swiss Hydrogen will install the fuel cells on a ship powered by photovoltaics.
“Hydrogen gas will replace diesel in a marine industry that is forced to reduce its emissions,” said Alexandre Closset, CEO of Swiss Hydrogen, the company that will manufacture the system and certify it for the marine environment.
“The ship in question will be a mobile show-case that describes how effective and reliable the hydrogen gas technology is in marine environments,” he said. It will be supplied with a system that encompasses onboard production of hydrogen gas from solar electricity, storage of hydrogen gas and two fuel cells each one 30 kW amounting to 80 hp.
Per Wassén, CEO of PowerCell Sweden says that more and more countries are demanding fossil-free energy for marine fields of application. The Netherlands has decided to develop fossil-free ferries. Norway, an early user of batteries, is also advanced in establishing fuel cell-powered ships, and over the next few years car ferries, passenger ferries and a fishing boat will be powered by fuel cell technology in Norway.
