By Nigel Marc Roberts

The shipping industry, long dependent on fossil fuels, is confronted with the dual challenge of meeting increasing transport demands—the sector enables the movement of more than 80 percent of global trade—while aligning with international climate objectives.

Reducing carbon emissions is no longer a peripheral concern – it has become a central pillar of future competitiveness and compliance. From adopting alternative fuels to optimizing vessel design and implementing advanced energy management systems, businesses within the shipping industry are becoming increasingly aware of the need to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner. 

As scrutiny from regulators, investors, and consumers intensifies, shipping companies are exploring more viable energy alternatives that not only reduce emissions but also offer long-term operational reliability.

One compelling solution is solar energy. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar power accounts for 15.3 percent of the world’s renewable energy. It is particularly attractive for integration into shipboard power systems due to its abundance, reliability and zero-emission profile.

While solar power is already well established in terrestrial applications, its adaptation to marine environments presents several challenges. However, recent advancements in photovoltaic technology, energy storage, and hybrid propulsion systems are making it increasingly feasible to integrate solar arrays even on larger vessels and commercial fleets, meaning it also offers substantial opportunities.

In fact, the sector’s traditional image as slow to innovate is being challenged by a new wave of innovation. Despite being a hard-to-abate industry, shipping is witnessing an acceleration in the adoption of clean technologies. This is reshaping industry standards and fostering a culture of innovation aimed at enhancing efficiency, reducing emissions and optimizing operations.

Industry’s Environmental Impact

Despite shipping being the most carbon-efficient mode of freight transport on a per tonne-kilometer basis, outperforming road, rail, and air in terms of emissions efficiency, the sheer size of global trade results in a significant environmental impact. The sector is currently responsible for approximately 3 percent of global annual CO₂ emissions, but as international trade volumes continue to rise, this figure is expected to grow, unless substantial decarbonization measures are implemented.

In response to the sector’s environmental impact, regulatory frameworks are evolving at pace. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a comprehensive strategy aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. Key targets include improving carbon intensity by 40 percent by 2030 and achieving a minimum 50 percent reduction in total emissions by 2050 compared to 2008 levels.

Achieving meaningful emissions reductions will require coordinated action across the value chain. Shipbuilders, engine manufacturers, fuel producers, port authorities, and shipping companies must work collaboratively to accelerate innovation and meet the IMO’s targets.

Exploring Solar for Shipping

In the drive toward decarbonizing shipping, a wide range of emerging technologies is providing shipping stakeholders with tools to incrementally reduce emissions. Solutions such as vessel design optimization, wind-assisted propulsion, intelligent automation, and advanced routing software have already demonstrated the potential to cut fuel consumption and associated emissions by 5 to 25 percent. As the industry pushes toward more ambitious climate targets, these measures won’t be enough.

With a growing need for more transformative, low- or zero-carbon energy solutions, solar is increasingly being considered an attractive solution for the shipping industry. However, it is often regarded as a challenging, technically complex and capital-intensive undertaking.

For one, the marine environment imposes harsh operational conditions. Exposure to saltwater, high humidity, and mechanical vibrations can degrade standard solar panel performance and reduce system life span.

Space is another critical limitation: the surface area available on ships is often insufficient to support the scale of standard photovoltaic arrays needed for primary propulsion, limiting their use to auxiliary systems, unless combined with hybrid configurations.

However, significant technological strides are beginning to shift the equation in favor of maritime solar adoption. Advances in materials science and engineering are yielding more robust, efficient and cost-effective solar technologies specifically designed for maritime applications.

For example, breakthroughs in photovoltaics have seen the development of lightweight, flexible, and corrosion-resistant solar panels, which have improved the feasibility of integrating solar arrays on commercial and passenger vessels.

Simultaneously, improvements in storage and energy management technologies are enabling ships to store and deploy solar energy more efficiently, reducing dependency on fossil fuels.

While challenges remain, innovative solar solutions can revolutionize the way ships are powered, leading to cleaner, more sustainable maritime travel that aligns with global environmental targets while reducing costs.

 

 

Pioneering Energy Management

In response to the urgent need for decarbonization within the maritime sector, the U.K.-based renewable energy firm Grafmarine has developed a novel approach to clean energy generation and storage designed specifically for the operational and environmental demands of shipping. The company’s NanoDeck system is an adaptable, modular solar energy platform engineered to operate in some of the world’s most challenging marine conditions.

Composed of interlinked tiles made from advanced silicon- and perovskite-based photovoltaic materials, the system converts flat surfaces, such as vessel decks, port structures, or offshore platforms, into intelligent energy hubs. The interlinked tiles combine solar power generation with hybrid storage technologies that include supercapacitors and grid-grade batteries, enabling rapid, reliable power availability across a variety of operational scenarios.

Designed with maritime resilience in mind, the tiles are bonded and mounted directly on a vessel’s deck and constructed from reinforced composite materials that offer exceptional durability, corrosion resistance, and mechanical strength. This makes them particularly well suited for long-term deployment in saltwater environments.

The system’s modular construction allows for straightforward retrofitting on existing fleets and seamles integration into the build process of new vessels. Crucially, each tile operates as an independent energy node, which can be clustered for greater capacity or replaced individually without disrupting the system. Tiles can also be moved around the ship, individually replaced when damaged, or upgraded.

The system is available through lease or purchase, lowering the capital barrier to adoption and enabling operators to upgrade components as technology evolves without significant additional investment.

Essentially, the scalable platform converts and stores energy to provide continuous power at sea, in port or anywhere off-grid up to 600 V. It reduces operating costs, optimizes energy efficiency and lowers carbon emissions. In fact, digital testing has shown that NanoDeck could save up to 10 percent of the fuel on an oil tanker—equivalent to up to 10 tonnes of heavy fuel oil per day—with the potential to increase to 40 percent over five years through system scaling and continuous technological improvement.

With an estimated 100,000 ships currently active and generating nearly 940 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, technologies such as NanoDeck, the only fully integrated power energy management solution currently available to the shipping industry, represent a promising step toward meeting global climate objectives while enhancing operational resilience within the shipping sector.

 

 

Extending Solar Beyond Ships

One of NanoDeck’s most significant advantages lies in its compatibility with other decarbonization pathways. It is designed to complement existing propulsion technologies and emerging green fuels, such as ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen, and can operate alongside wind-assisted propulsion. This makes it a versatile addition to any sustainability strategy, particularly at a time when the industry is exploring hybrid energy configurations to bridge the transition to zero-emission operations.

While vessels attract most of the attention in discussions about decarbonization, emissions generated during port operations remain a substantial and often overlooked contributor to pollution/greenhouse gases. Research shows that up to 85 percent of emissions from tankers occurs while docked in ports, often within proximity of dense urban areas.

As pressure mounts to reduce maritime emissions, attention should be paid to port infrastructure as an area where transformative sustainability gains can be achieved. The integration of renewable energy systems, particularly solar technologies, offers a viable solution. Platforms such as NanoDeck can be deployed across port surfaces. Its solid-state, plug-and-play architecture allows for installation across diverse environments, including buildings, dock structures and dedicated energy zones, to generate clean, decentralized power. This not only reduces the carbon footprint of port operations but also enables ships to shut down their engines while docked and draw power from the port’s renewable grid.

AI-Powered Energy Management

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is widespread across all industries and sectors, and shipping is no exception.

Grafmarine offers an AI-driven platform, known as NanoPredict, which is designed to optimize how vessels generate, store and use renewable energy at sea, enhancing the overall performance of the NanoDeck system.

The platform leverages more than two decades of global weather data across key shipping corridors to forecast environmental conditions and dynamically adjust energy use. This predictive capability enables vessels to adjust power deployment in real time, ensuring that stored energy is used at the most effective points during a voyage.

For instance, vessels that spend significant time anchored or waiting for port access—estimated at up to 40 percent of operational time for some ships—can utilize stored solar energy to reduce reliance on auxiliary engines, achieving fuel savings of up to 10 percent. When paired with NanoDeck’s clean energy generation, the combined system can reduce total fuel consumption by up to 20 percent, depending on the vessel type and operational profile.

AI’s role extends beyond efficiency gains. By embedding intelligent automation into onboard energy systems, NanoPredict transforms what has traditionally been a reactive approach to shipboard energy management into a proactive, data-informed strategy. It provides actionable insights that support long-term strategic decisions on voyage planning, energy storage sizing and maintenance scheduling. This approach not only supports compliance with evolving emissions regulations but also improves cost predictability and asset performance.

As the shipping sector looks to decarbonize while maintaining operational efficiency, the integration of AI systems represents a forward-looking solution with both immediate and long-term value.

 

 

Responsible Manufacturing

The IMO has emphasized the importance of life cycle thinking in ship design, maintenance and dismantling as part of a holistic approach to decarbonization. As such, circular economy practices are increasingly being considered for achieving net-zero targets.

Grafmarine’s commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in the principles of the circular economy. In an industry traditionally driven by linear production and disposal models, it believes that the adoption of circular practices presents a vital opportunity to reduce environmental impact while creating long-term economic value.

The company’s approach focuses on designing systems for durability, reusability, and end-of-life recyclability, while simultaneously minimizing resource inputs and emissions during manufacturing. This strategy not only aligns with global climate goals but also addresses the growing demand for responsible and traceable material sourcing in maritime supply chains.

It is estimated that more than 640,000 tonnes of commercial fishing equipment, including nets, lines and traps, are discarded at sea every year. These materials represent a significant environmental hazard, but, for Grafmarine, they are also a largely untapped resource.

The company is currently prototyping the use of recycled net fibers and post-consumer plastics in the production of its solar tiles. By repurposing high-strength polymer waste, it is not only preventing marine pollution but also reducing the need for virgin materials and the emissions associated with their extraction and processing.

 

 

Looking Ahead

Historically dependent on fossil fuels, shipping has contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. However, the maritime industry is undergoing a fundamental transition as it aligns itself with global climate objectives and the urgent need to decarbonize.

Driven by regulatory frameworks, economic pressures and technological innovation, the sector is shifting toward a more sustainable future. Solar energy, alongside other emerging low- and zero-carbon technologies, plays an increasingly vital role in this transformation.

The adoption of modular solar technologies, such as Grafmarine’s NanoDeck platform, illustrates how renewable energy can be practically deployed across vessels and port infrastructure to reduce emissions, enhance energy efficiency, and create operational cost savings.

Nigel Marc Roberts is the CEO of Grafmarine.