Arendalsuka: Decarbonisation strategies and data sharing

Hafenstrom was present at Arendalsuka 2022 this year as well. With Arendalsukas main topic being energy and today’s challenges in the energy market, it represented a good arena to present the results from the GIFT project. Preparedness was another keyword that was often brought up, and here the AURORAL project was a good candidate for discussing upcoming pilots and looking for stakeholders.

There were certain keywords that were brought up; decarbonisation, value chains and data lakes, as well as the current state of digitalization. Some concerns brought up ownership of data and issues related to share results from both open and closed data sources. In particular; when harvesting data, how can these be used to enhance cross sector services.

In the context of electric ferries, it became clear that the role of shipyards is changing. From just building structures based on designs provided by other actors, they are turning more into system integrators – in particular with new types of batteries and standards for charging, wiring, and onboard control centre.

In other presentations it was brought up that one single ferry does not make much of a difference in decarbonisation efforts. To increase the effect, entire fleets must be deployed/integrated. Several speakers also pointed out that we should not just base decisions on old strategies, but also use the opportunity provided by new technology. On the topic of ferries; being asked whether one should go for more frequent departures or higher load capacity, the answer was instead to have more locations for ferries to dock. However, the demand for electrification of the ferries also influences upgrades to installations on the harbour, as well as nearby infrastructure. Today the customers are the driving force – and demand certification of green processes. This opens for some great opportunities for the results from the GIFT project and the Hafenstrom solutions.

An interesting example was one of the challenges experienced by full electric ferries in Arendal; the shore power had not enough capacity. This affected among other things the onboard air conditioning. Therefore, the engine manager had to start fans in regular intervals to cool down the batteries. This brought up another topic – the onboard crew will be in need of new skillsets; navigation, maintenance and management will take other shapes. Some of the objectives related to the green transitions fits well with the Harbour Energy Flexibility Monitoring Service solution developed by Hafenstrom.

The time horizon is decreased due to customer demands for low emission. To keep a competitive edge, the process of designing, build and launch ferries must be streamlined. Therefore, product development and system integration will be important in order to keep good relations with not only the clients, but also with the supplier market. Energy Management Systems – combined with Power Management and Battery Management – will therefore need to be better integrated with effect flexibility algorithms. At least if the harbour will relevant data for necessary virtualisation and onshore energy management. The may lead to future updates to the EU Data Act that will have to address data being shared by components on electric ferries, just as well as other vehicles.