Danish methanol fuel cell (MFC) technology developer and manufacturer, Blue World Technologies ApS has announced the extension of its activities in shipping. With a methanol fuel cell-powered auxiliary power unit (APU), the company aims to replace conventional diesel generators for power supply on board vessels.
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The shipping industry accounts for around three percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually.
With the development of a fuel cell-based APU system running on methanol, Blue World Technologies (BWT) wants to accelerate the green transition of the maritime market.
The company is a developer and manufacturer of high-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT PEM) fuel cells and will start series production later in December 2022.
Especially within the last couple of years, we have seen that the use of renewable methanol as shipping fuel has turned into a global trend, with more and more methanol-driven vessels, cruise ships, and large ocean-going container ships being built, said Mads Friis Jensen, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Blue World Technologies.
Investor support
The company’s focus on the maritime industry is being supported by the Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, that in August 2022 entered as an investor and completed Blue World’s series-B round of a total of EUR 37 million.
With the decision of extending the company’s activities within development and manufacturing to cover APU systems for marine usage, the company will be able to provide modular APU solutions in the megawatt range for direct integration in new builds as well as retrofits in existing ships.
As a provider of auxiliary power units for shipping, Blue World Technologies will support this trend by offering high-power methanol fuel cell solutions with high electrical efficiency, long durability, and low maintenance costs. Combining our core technology with the entire production from components to finished systems, our customers will benefit from our first-hand technological know-how, Mads Friis Jensen said.
Modular configuration
The methanol fuel cell system of Blue World Technologies can supply the electricity needed on board a ship using a simple and modular cabinet configuration consisting of 200 kW cabinets that combined can provide an energy load in the megawatt range.
This means that the energy supply can be tailored to specific customer needs. To compensate for the green premium of e-fuels such as methanol, the BWT methanol fuel cell APU system will have an energy efficiency of 45 to 60 percent. This will lower the operating costs and thereby enable a cost-efficient use of e-fuels.
In the coming years, BWT will expand its production capacity and aims for taking a further step into the maritime market with methanol fuel cell systems for propulsion.
