Last month, we announced that Climeon’s Heat Power System is up and running on board a Maersk container vessel! Read on to learn more about the venture, find out how Maersk will be assessing the potential of waste heat recovery on maritime energy efficiency and why building a zero-carbon shipping future is more important than ever.
Significant changes are needed for the maritime industry to successfully decarbonize and, as the world’s largest container logistics company, Maersk is a driving force within the sector. With ambitious sustainability goals, including a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, the firm is committed to developing, implementing and scaling innovative energy efficiency solutions.
As part of its strategic initiative, Maersk is evaluating the impact that onboard waste heat recovery can have on emissions by using Climeon’s Heat Power System to produce clean electricity on board a container vessel. As the most efficient maritime Heat Power System on the market, we’re excited to showcase Climeon’s capabilities and onboard performance.
Leading the Way in Decarbonization
By using waste heat generated via jacket cooling water and surplus steam from the vessel’s engine to generate clean electricity, Climeon heat power modules provide a carbon-free source of power.
This carbon-free electricity is fed into the vessel’s grid, therefore reducing the fuel consumption of onboard generators. As a result, emissions are reduced and the EEXI of the vessel is improved.
Reducing Long-Distance Shipping Emissions
Shipping accounts for 2.89% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, alarmingly, maritime GHG emissions are continuing to rise (IMO,2020). Despite increased awareness of the climate crisis and widespread calls for meaningful change, the environmental impact of long-distance shipping will worsen if action isn’t taken.
According to the newly released Industry Transition Strategy report, continuing to use today’s fuel mix and energy efficiency measures could result in an emissions increase of nearly 60% by 2050.
More concerningly, it seems that the energy efficiency pledges and planned actions will not be sufficient either. In fact, the Industry Transition Strategy report indicates that the ‘Path We Are On’ could lead to an emissions increase of 20% and outputs of 1.5 GtCO2-eq. per year by 2050. (Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, 2021). In addition to this, the shipping industry’s global share of GHG emissions could also rise if other industries decarbonize at a faster rate.
It’s clear, therefore, that current abatement initiatives are insufficient if the shipping industry wants to meet its sustainability targets and minimize its environmental impact.
Realizing the urgency and importance of creating a sustainable future for the industry, Maersk is leading the way in accelerating decarbonization within long-distance shipping and proving that net-zero is achievable by 2050 – providing the right action is taken and the right solutions are implemented.
Generating Heat Power on Board
Ships produce a considerable amount of heat when in operation, but its potential is often overlooked. By using this heat to create usable, carbon-free power, Climeon’s Heat Power System transforms an easily available waste product into a valuable asset.
Furthermore, our modular and scalable heat power modules can generate up to 1MW of clean electricity on a single vessel, which enables shipping companies to increase their reliance on carbon-free power at a rate that suits them.
Once commissioned and installed, the Climeon Live control system automatically optimizes performance to enhance conversion efficiency and facilitates proactive monitoring to maximize uptime.
Partnering with Maersk
Maersk’s ambitious sustainability targets and strategic initiatives highlight the company’s commitment to decarbonizing long-distance shipping. At Climeon, we’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Maersk on this exciting project and look forward to future collaborations:
To learn more about Climeon’s Heat Power System and onboard waste heat recovery applications, contact our Maritime team now.
