Page 14: of Marine News Magazine (January 2021)

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Insights electric or embracing hybrid technology. That’s why BAE propriately, and that essentially goes away when you have a

Systems is really trying to develop solutions that can meet quiet and low vibration electric propulsion system. So, we customers where they’re at today. There certainly are a few realized that we needed to provide clear visual indicators factors that need to be considered when going electric or at the helm, and we’ve done that. There are some nuances, even hybrid. It starts with de? ning the power needs, evalu- but these are things that can be overcome.

ating the suitable technology solutions that are out there I also wanted to share that for operators who want to go and conducting a consideration of the shore site infrastruc- electric today but may not have adequate shore-side infra- ture and how much energy storage the vessel can physically structure in place, that’s all right. By working with a modu- accommodate. We’re able to help with all of that. In order lar system, we can grow the system over time and how our for this to work, the solution has to be a win-win. customers go down that path to get to zero emissions. It’s

We work to get the customers to see a complete picture easy to add more energy storage, more batteries over time, of what they have and what could be. I want to underline along the way, and the system will adapt to that and realize that while this technology is new to the industry, to our that there’s more energy storage in place.

industry, again, it’s not new technology overall. The tech- If you don’t have the shore site infrastructure, that’s all nology is safe and it is proven. Our regulators, the coast right too. The hybrid system uses self-charging technology, guard and classi? cation societies, they have guidelines in so it really can get operators to feel comfortable about in- place that further enhances the safety and proper installa- vesting in the technology and growing it over time. Same, tion and operation of these systems. we realized that batteries and energy storage is going to be

We also realize that it’s important for the crew to be continuously improving, and as that technology improves, trained on the components of the system. We put forth you can bring it on board and our system will adapt to that a lot of effort into making sure that they’re familiar and as well, whether it be more ef? cient with the lithium ion comfortable with that technology. We want it to be effort- batteries or a fuel-cell-based storage system.

less in the operation of the vessel. It’s a fully automated sys- tem, so the captain of a conventional vessel should be able

This technology just doesn’t pop up, and to easily step behind the helm of a hybrid or electric vessel. developing it requires continual investment.

It should look and feel that the same way in terms of the

When you look at your portfolio now and what controls and the operation and control of the vessel move- it’s going to look like in the coming years, ment. One piece of feedback that we got from some of our what’s new? What’s next?

customers is that the vibration and noise of a conventional vessel provides a level of comfort at the helm. The captain JH: We’re always looking to the future. Something new is able to hear and realize that everything is working ap- that we’re bringing to our HybriGen systems is geofenc-

HybriGen Power System 14 | MN January 2021

Image: BAE Systems