The Energy Observer
Initiated in 2013 and implemented in 2017, Energy Observer is a floating laboratory.
Focussing on renewable energies, led by Victorien Erussard, Founder and Captain, and Jérôme Delafosse, Expedition Leader.
The Energy Observer was moored near the Noordkasteel basin from 21 to 29 March 2019, under the spectacular building "Port House of Antwerp" designed by Zaha Hadid a British Iraqi architect.
She designed a "masterpiece" integrated in the old fire station.
At the outset, Energy Observer is the name of a boat, self-sufficient in energy, with zero emissions, zero fine particles, zero noise, as well as being a symbol of our awareness raising and our ambitions at the service of ecological transition.
We designed her to prove that entirely decarbonised, decentralised and digitised energy is possible, that such a virtuous circle is achievable. Her on-board technologies, combining multiple sources – solar, wind and hydro power – and forms of storage, batteries and above all hydrogen, prefigure tomorrow's intelligent energy networks (smart grid), which can be reproduced on a grand scale, everywhere and for everyone.
* Hydrogen, keystone of the Energy Observer system.
To date, hydrogen is renewable energies' best ally. The most abundant chemical element in the universe, lightweight and boasting an energy density that is 3 times greater than traditional fuels, it enables excess surplus energies to be stored and their irregularity to be offset. If Energy Observer were to store her energy using solely traditional batteries, she would weigh twice as much!
Today, the 63kg of hydrogen stored on board Energy Observer provides 1MWh of electricity, equivalent to the average electricity consumption (including electric heating) of a 4-person household for one month and 10 days.*
In the 63 Kg of hydrogen, the fuel cell provides 1 MWh of electricity, but also 1 MWh of thermal energy that can be used for heating and hot water.
Though maritime and terrestrial mobility is satisfying the ever-increasing demands for power, speed and reliability, today hydrogen is the only energy vector offering a credible alternative to fossil fuels with no impact on the environment.
Via on-board testing of an energy system based on a mix of renewable energies and hydrogen produced aboard, we are paving the way forward for multiple terrestrial and maritime applications, which can be replicated on the scale of a user, a district or a town.
*This example is based on a household living in a house of about 140m2 at an altitude of 1000 m with a heat pump system.
* Clean energy sources
The adaptability of sustainable energy systems is based on a combination of technologies, which enable energy to be produced from nature without damaging it: sun, wind, waves and currents. Our process of continuous innovation, enables us to experiment with new technologies every year, test them and sometimes give up on them where the results prove inconclusive. For solar energy, our team trialled the first bi-facial, heterojunction photovoltaic panels designed by the INES (National Institute of Solar Energy), right up to the latest flexible or vertical and invisible panels supplied by Solbian.
For wind energy, having initially trialled traction kite systems and vertical-axis wind turbines, since 2019 we've been developing automatic propulsion wings with the VPLP architectural firm: OceanWings®.
New, automatic variable pitch propellers have also been tested since early 2020 with a view to enhancing the performance of the on-board hydro-electricity produced using the power of the ocean current.
The selection criteria still remains the same: these innovations must be able to be replicated and adapted and satisfy the multiple application and mobility challenges, so that one day it becomes accessible to all.
* A legendary race boat
Built in Canada in 1983 by the naval architect Nigel Irens, under the supervision of the sailor Mike Birch, she was christened "Formule Tag". In 1993, with Sir Peter Blake, the boat became
"ENZA NEW ZEALAND" and won the Jules Verne Trophy, securing a round the world sailing record under sail of 74 days, 22 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds. In 1998, she became ROYAL & SUN ALLIANCE with the first female crew in the world to make a Jules Verne Trophy attempt headed by Tracy Edwards.
* Energy Observer integrates wind propulsion wings on board!
The 18th of was an expected and important day for Energy Observer, which has equipped itself with a new technological brick for wind propulsion: two Oceanwings®, rotating, self-supporting and 100% automated, which will increase the vessel's speed and produce hydrogen during navigation by electrolysis of sea water. A technology never before tested on such a large boat, and which could well revolutionize maritime transport.
* Energy Observer and VPLP, in search of a universal wind solution
Although it is an inexhaustible resource at sea, wind is still difficult to exploit for large-scale maritime transport. Energy Observer, as an experimental vessel, has set itself the task of testing all available and promising solutions. During the first navigation campaigns, Energy Observer tested 2 vertical axis wind turbines for energy production, and a traction wing for reducing energy costs.
The vessel is now testing a brand new system that combines the advantages of both: a wind-powered thruster. Oceanwings® will reduce the ship's energy consumption, accelerate its speed but above all produce energy and hydrogen while sailing.
* 12 Meter Span
The largest Oceanwings® tested to date. They are the result of a concept patented by VPLP design co-developed in partnership with CNIM where they are assembled. Energy Observer will thus provide unprecedented feedback for the maritime transport of the future. The wings, with a surface area of 31.5 m² each, are self-supporting and can be rotated 360°.
VPLP Design draws its inspiration and experience from the rigid wings of the America's Cup, whose aerodynamic efficiency is far superior to traditional sails. However, there is a fundamental reason that has limited their development: their rigidity. Until now, they had not had the capacity to reduce the surface area, in other words the arisage and lowering, as on a conventional rig.
With Oceanwings®, VPLP Design aims to offer a simple solution to overcome this obstacle and democratize the use of rigid wings.
* The hydrogen storage of Energy Observer
Energy Observer chose complementary storage systems: short-term storage in a set of Li-Ion batteries, and eight hydrogen tanks for long-term storage.
Hydrogen storage
Eight tanks with a capacity of 332 L store a total of 63 kg of hydrogen, which provides the same energy as 230L of fuel. The global net energy stored is 1 MWh.
The engineers initially planned to place this bulky storage in the hulls of the catamaran, but they finally decided to distribute the tanks in external well decks on each wing.
This ensures the tanks are in a watertight environment, protected from sea spray, prevents confinement, and facilitates handling for maintenance. It did, however, require complex calculations for the weight distribution and the tank support design.
The only challenge the storage poses the crew is in their educational role. One of the first questions asked by visitors about safety is about how the hydrogen is stored. Because high-pressure hydrogen is an inflammable gas, the danger of storing it was an obstacle to developing its use in the past.
But current storage methods have proven to be very safe, with industrial use going back over 20 years now. And hydrogen cars have also been sold for many years now, with tanks up to 700 bars.
As well as being lightweight, the hydrogen molecule is the finest that exists in nature. It can infiltrate any imperfections in materials, causing confinement loss in the long term. That is why hydrogen tanks are usually made of a shell made from carbon fibres, recognised for being lightweight and highly resistant.
A second inside polymer shell, or liner, guarantees the tank is impermeable.
Hydrogen is very light, so highly resistant materials had to be used, and Energy Observer intends to prove the viability of this system in harsh conditions at sea.
The batteries provide short term immediate power, whilst the hydrogen provides long-term autonomy.
But above all, the Energy Observer demonstrates the immense advantage that hydrogen has over batteries.
The battery set weighs 1,400 kg for 112 kWh, whereas the hydrogen storage and fuel cell together weigh a total of 1,700 kg for 1,000 kWh. This means 1 kWh weighs 12.5 kg when stored in batteries, and only 1.7 kg when stored as hydrogen.
In other words, for equal weight, hydrogen storage contains 7.35 times more power than the batteries, which is a considerable advantage for mobility, whether it be on the sea, land or in the air.
The short-term energy storage of Energy Observer
Energy Observer chose complementary storage systems: short-term storage in a set of Li-Ion batteries, and eight hydrogen tanks for long-term storage.
* Battery storage
The main set of batteries feed the electric motors via the 400-volt network. The capacity of 112 kWh is optimised: it's only 2.5 times more than the type of battery used for an electric car like Renault's Zoe!
Another set of 18 kWh batteries powers the 24-volt low-voltage network and every-day facilities on board: electronic navigation, on-board computer, lighting, comfort, security, etc. Great care was taken to make sure the two networks do not interfere with each other. For example, the engineers had to add several power converters to an even supply of electricity from the different sources (photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, etc.). Lastly, all the wiring was simplified to reduce on-line power loss, and to reduce the size of energy storage and supply systems.
* The hydrogen chain step 1: The Energy Observer watermaker
The Energy Observer is equipped with a reverse-osmosis desalination system with several levels.
When two volumes of water – one salty and the other not – are put together, natural movement is created: the fresh water is attracted to the salty water.
As the name suggests, reverse osmosis is the opposite, going from salty water to fresh water.
In this process, seawater is forced through a filtering membrane which removes the salt. However, high energy resources are required to maintain water pressure. The fresh water generated by the first level of desalination is used on board. Water from the other levels is used by the on-board hydrogen systems.
On the Energy Observer, this process instantly consumes 250 W to produce 90 litres of drinking water, 30 of which are then treated again to be used by the electrolyser. 1 L of fresh water produces 100 g of H2 which becomes water again when the fuel cells make the conversion into electricity.
Note that the correct optimisation of the fluids means very pure steam can be recovered and re-injected into the electrolyser. As a result, the actual pure water consumed is only a back-up.
* The hydrogen chain step 2 : The Energy Observer electrolyser
Currently, 95% of the world's hydrogen supply is from fossil fuel, through a reforming process using methane, the main component of natural gas. Electrolysis using a renewable energy source is a solution for the future use of green hydrogen on a large scale.
Electrolysis decomposes water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) gas.
More precisely, water is injected into the positive electrode (cathode) where it is first decomposed into oxygen, H+ ions and electrons. The H+ ions then migrate towards a negative electrode (anode) where they recombine with the electrons to form hydrogen. The membrane lets the protons migrate while blocking the electrons and making them circulate to the anode.
Electrolysers are usually bulky systems, so the CEA-Liten engineers had to design a more compact model for the Energy Observer. To do so, they converted a standard model from the company Proton Onsite, combining the structure with the fuel cell structure. The device can produce up to 4 Nm3 per hour of pure hydrogen, and consumes 3.66 litres of deionised water per hour.
* The hydrogen chain step 3: The Energy Observer compression
Hydrogen has a very high energy content: for the same weight, it contains up to three times more energy than diesel, and 2.5 times more than natural gas. That said, we know how to store natural gas in tanks or pipelines. Storing hydrogen is more difficult.
Hydrogen is an extremely light gas which occupies a substantial volume under atmospheric pressure conditions. As a result, storing it requires high levels of pressure. The Energy Observer tanks store hydrogen at 350 bars, which is the current standard for buses, for example. Hydrogen cars, such as the Toyota Mirai, stock hydrogen at 700 bars.
The Energy Observer compressor operated for 1,469 hours for the first level at 180 bars and 1,105 hours for the second level at 350 bars. The levels of compression in the H2 production supply demanded a lot attention from the crew during the first 16 months at sea; 11 membranes were destroyed due to different factors which polluted the procedure.
The pollution was not necessarily due to the marine environment, and highlights the importance of a high-quality and rigorous installation. Analysis and optimisation during the winter period should solve the problem. And the Energy Observer team plan to test a new generation of high-pressure electrolysers to reduce weight and simplify the system.
* The Energy Observer Fuel Cell
The fuel cell is the centrepiece of the hydrogen chain. It converts the hydrogen into electricity by reversing the electrolysis process. The system on Energy Observer was tailor-made by CEA-Liten engineers and provides 20 kW of pure electric power.
A fuel cell associates hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) to form water molecules (H2O), and at the same time, generates electrical and thermal power...with no greenhouse gas (CO2) or fine particles, only water. There are several different technologies for fuel cells. The most widespread used in vehicles is called PEM (proton exchange membrane), because it is compact and has proven to be reliable.
It is also the technology used on Energy Observer.
It was custom-built to be constantly modified, put to the test and optimised, and to fit in the tight space in a starboard hull.
* OceanWings® and hydrogeneration onboard Energy Observer
The OceanWings®, these propulsion wings placed on the boat in April 2019, meet the challenge of increasing the vessel's speed while reducing its energy consumption dedicated to propulsion, allowing us to produce hydrogen whilst sailing.
Under favourable weather conditions, they make it possible to optimise the energy mix performance, in particular through the production of hydroelectricity (through the inversion of electric motors into hydro generators) and make hydrogen during navigation by electrolysis of sea water.
Our open innovation approach has allowed us to test different technological bricks and learn how to improve our on-board energy mix for more autonomy and performance, especially during long navigations with less sunshine. A must-have for our Odyssey to the Spitsbergen!
* Installation of the new solar panels
During the last technical stopover of the boat, more than 36.8 m² of solar panels were added to the existing 165 m²! This represents an additional power
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