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Carnot is leading a £3m grant to decarbonise the largest source of in-port greenhouse gas emissions with a novel Cold Ironing Solution.

When in Port, most vessels use diesel generators to power onboard operations. Globally, this produces around 35Mt of CO2e generated per year and accounts for roughly 60% of total port emissions. This project aims to eliminate these emissions by providing highly efficient, shoreside power to replace the need for diesel generators. 

The end-to-end system starts with a Solar PV system, utilising technology and hosted by our partners at Cranfield University.

 This provides power directly to the vessel when at birth, but during periods where supply exceeds demand, electricity is fed into a high-efficiency power management architecture provided by project partner HyWaves. HyWaves’ technology massively simplifies the architecture needed to operate Electrolysers to produce green hydrogen from solar power, delivering both an efficiency improvement and cost reduction.

Hydrogen is stored using low-cost, high-density MOF technology from Rux Energy. This stage is critical in providing long-term, cost-effective energy storage, managing seasonal and operational variations.

High efficiency Carnot Engines will then use Hydrogen fuel to provide on demand power. Shoreside generators will be connected to vessels whilst moored in port. Clean Air Power, a supplier of specialist injectors and valves for alternative fuels, will provide High Pressure Hydrogen Injection (HPHITM) technology to control the flow of hydrogen into the Carnot engine. This method of providing shore-to-ship power is known as Cold Ironing. 

The Manufacturing Technology Centre, the UK’s centre of excellence for manufacturing technologies, is providing expertise guiding the critical path to engine development and providing design for manufacture insight, optimised for additive manufacturing processes. This will then be tested at Brunel University London. Throughout this phase, Carisbrooke Shipping will provide the critical insight from a vessel operators perspective, including implications on regulations and operational requirements.

The project revolves around Freeport East, assisting with outreach and engagement with ports operators, shipping lines and the Trust Port, Harwich Haven Authority. Freeport East, CEO Steve Beel comments: “We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking consortium looking at fresh approaches to greening the maritime sector, which brings together leading hydrogen innovators from across the UK”. 

Swanbarton and Brunel University are collaborating to develop the Energy Vector Analyser (EVA). EVA will help ports understand their current energy landscape and facilitate future planning. By evaluating a wide range of potential fuel, generation, and storage options, EVA seeks to minimise investment risks associated with unviable or obsolete technologies, thus avoiding stranded assets. This tool will enable ports to identify viable aspects of the hydrogen lifecycle within their full energy system enabling informed investment and ensuring they can offer future services like shore power, despite existing infrastructure and geographical constraints.

The entire project will then have the regulatory and certification oversight provided by Bureau Veritas.

This project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology necessary to decarbonise the UK domestic maritime sector.

Decarbonising Port emissions with novel Cold Ironing solution

Carnot is leading a £3m grant to decarbonise the largest source of in-port greenhouse gas emissions with a novel Cold Ironing Solution. When in Port, most vessels use diesel generators to power onboard operations. Globally, this produces around 35Mt of CO2e generated per year and accounts for roughly 60% of total port emissions. This project…

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High Efficiency Ammonia Power for the Maritime Industry

Carnot is leading a consortium which has successfully won a £2.1m grant to decarbonise maritime power using Ammonia fuel. This grant, part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition delivered by Innovate UK, will develop a novel liquid Ammonia engine concept, delivering unrivalled efficiency whilst eliminating emissions from maritime power. We will be targeting heavy-duty maritime…

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Carisbrooke Shipping becomes our latest investor!

Carisbrooke Shipping is a family-owned British shipping company established more than 50 years ago. They have pioneered increasing vessel efficiency and reduced vessel emissions with a continued dedication to innovation and improving vessel design. We have had the great pleasure of working with Carisbrooke Shipping for several years including co-operating on a series of Clean…

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Carnot wins £2.3m grant to deploy Hydrogen Auxiliary Power unit for Marine

Carnot has been awarded £2.3M to develop a zero-emission 50kW Hydrogen auxiliary engine demonstrator in conjunction with our partners Carisbrooke Shipping, Brunel University and the Manufacturing Technology Centre. Following design and simulations, the hydrogen-fired engine will be bench tested in one of Brunel University’s world-leading, hydrogen-approved test cells before being integrated into a containerised system…

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Decarbonising marine industry

Carnot wins £500,000 grant to develop hydrogen/ammonia Auxiliary Power Unit

Carnot is leading a consortium to decarbonise Auxiliary Power in marine applications We are delighted to announce Carnot is leading a consortium which has won a £500,000 Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition 2 Grant to develop a Hydrogen/Ammonia fuelled, Auxiliary power unit for the maritime industry.   Following the successes from our first CDMC grant, the…

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Decarbonising marine industry

Carnot use case – Decarbonise marine auxiliary power

Zero emission auxiliary engine As society becomes increasingly aware of our environmental footprint, global industries are coming under unprecedented pressures to chart a course to a sustainable future. Shipping, the backbone of the global economy, delivers over 90% of global trade or 11 billion tons of goods annually and does so at incredibly low cost…

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Hydrogen use in HGVs – The Financial Times Hydrogen Summit

Archie was recently invited by the Financial Times to speak at their recently Hydrogen Summit. This was a gathering of global leaders involved in the Hydrogen space, discussing everything from hydrogen production, transportation, suitable use cases and the potential impact it could have on decarbonising global activities.  Archie was invited to offer his expertise on…

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Carnot is leading a £3m grant to decarbonise the largest source of in-port greenhouse gas emissions with a novel Cold Ironing Solution.

When in Port, most vessels use diesel generators to power onboard operations. Globally, this produces around 35Mt of CO2e generated per year and accounts for roughly 60% of total port emissions. This project aims to eliminate these emissions by providing highly efficient, shoreside power to replace the need for diesel generators. 

The end-to-end system starts with a Solar PV system, utilising technology and hosted by our partners at Cranfield University.

 This provides power directly to the vessel when at birth, but during periods where supply exceeds demand, electricity is fed into a high-efficiency power management architecture provided by project partner HyWaves. HyWaves’ technology massively simplifies the architecture needed to operate Electrolysers to produce green hydrogen from solar power, delivering both an efficiency improvement and cost reduction.

Hydrogen is stored using low-cost, high-density MOF technology from Rux Energy. This stage is critical in providing long-term, cost-effective energy storage, managing seasonal and operational variations.

High efficiency Carnot Engines will then use Hydrogen fuel to provide on demand power. Shoreside generators will be connected to vessels whilst moored in port. Clean Air Power, a supplier of specialist injectors and valves for alternative fuels, will provide High Pressure Hydrogen Injection (HPHITM) technology to control the flow of hydrogen into the Carnot engine. This method of providing shore-to-ship power is known as Cold Ironing. 

The Manufacturing Technology Centre, the UK’s centre of excellence for manufacturing technologies, is providing expertise guiding the critical path to engine development and providing design for manufacture insight, optimised for additive manufacturing processes. This will then be tested at Brunel University London. Throughout this phase, Carisbrooke Shipping will provide the critical insight from a vessel operators perspective, including implications on regulations and operational requirements.

The project revolves around Freeport East, assisting with outreach and engagement with ports operators, shipping lines and the Trust Port, Harwich Haven Authority. Freeport East, CEO Steve Beel comments: “We are delighted to be part of this ground-breaking consortium looking at fresh approaches to greening the maritime sector, which brings together leading hydrogen innovators from across the UK”. 

Swanbarton and Brunel University are collaborating to develop the Energy Vector Analyser (EVA). EVA will help ports understand their current energy landscape and facilitate future planning. By evaluating a wide range of potential fuel, generation, and storage options, EVA seeks to minimise investment risks associated with unviable or obsolete technologies, thus avoiding stranded assets. This tool will enable ports to identify viable aspects of the hydrogen lifecycle within their full energy system enabling informed investment and ensuring they can offer future services like shore power, despite existing infrastructure and geographical constraints.

The entire project will then have the regulatory and certification oversight provided by Bureau Veritas.

This project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 4 (CMDC4), funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK. CMDC4 is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative focused on developing the technology necessary to decarbonise the UK domestic maritime sector.