Zero emission cruise ship of the future. (Credit: Image courtesy of ABB.)

A next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility is in development. The system will use proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM) that convert chemical energy from hydrogen into electricity through an electrochemical reaction. They involve no combustion, converting fuel directly to electricity, heat and clean water. With the use of renewables to produce the hydrogen, the entire energy chain can be clean.

The fuel cell power system, to be jointly designed, developed and validated by ABB and Ballard Power Systems, is anticipated to play a significant part in accelerating the industry-wide adoption of sustainable solutions for marine e-mobility and help ship-owners meet the increasing demands for clean operations.

ABB and Ballard Power Systems will leverage the existing kilowatt-scale fuel cell technologies and optimize them to create a pioneering megawatt-scale solution suitable for powering larger ships. With an electrical generating capacity of 3 MW (4000 HP), the new system will fit within a single module no bigger in size than a traditional marine engine running on fossil fuels.  —ABB