<
https://theconversation.com/electric-container-ships-wont-work-but-a-fleet-of-auxiliary-battery-ships-could-clean-up-shipping-266596>
"Shipping moves 90% of global trade and produces nearly 3% of global emissions.
The sector has proved challenging to clean up, as cargo ships can travel for
weeks between ports and typically rely on cheap, energy-dense and extremely
polluting heavy fuel oil.
Earlier this year, international efforts to move shipping towards net zero by
using cleaner fuels fell apart under pressure from the United States. But as
battery prices fall year on year, there might be another way forward.
Electric ferries already shuttle passengers and cars on short routes, while
harbour tugs and inland cargo vessels are also going electric. At present,
electrification works best over modest distances where charging can happen at
the dock.
Could it ever work for container ships crisscrossing oceans? These giants can
travel from China to Europe without refuelling due to the energy density of
oil. The weight and expense of battery packs means it would be hard to swap oil
for batteries.
But electrification isn’t all or nothing. Batteries would need to begin by
operating alongside liquid fuels. In recent research, I lay out two potential
ways to do this: using onboard battery packs and charging at ports, or
connecting container ships to dedicated battery vessels."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
