E-buoys and HVPC innovation support the energy transition


With a keen focus on how best to achieve the energy transition, electric charging buoys and next generation High Voltage Power Cables (HVPC) are being explored in the MAGPIE and CABLE JIP research projects.


E


Jorrit-Jan Serraris & Jaap de Wilde


j.w.serraris@marin.nl 12 report


lectrification of ships is one way of moving towards zero emission shipping. However, for long sailing


operations the required battery packs would be too large to incorporate in the ship design. But for specific applications, electric operations are deemed feasible in combination with offshore electric charging. Electric charging buoys or E-buoys, near offshore wind farms for example, are a solution for emission-free maintenance. Furthermore, E-buoys can deliver offshore power to idling ships in waiting areas or to cruise vessels outside small ports.


Offshore loading buoys have been used for decades and are a proven solution for the (off)loading of crude oil. These buoys are mostly used in relatively benign sea states. But in the case of E-buoys being deployed at wind farms specific challenges must be overcome. Rough sea states and the integrity of the electric charging cable challenge the design. Therefore, research projects such as MAGPIE and the CABLE JIP can help to overcome these challenges.


Prototype E-buoy Within the Horizon 2020 project MAGPIE, Bluewater is


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