New Hydrogen-Hybrid System Cuts Ship Fuel Use By 24%, Saving $500,000 Annually

A hydrogen-hybrid system developed by a company called Newlight was fitted to the diesel engine of a bulk carrier that sailed from Singapore to Ghana, a distance covering 8500 nautical miles.

During this journey, the ship saw a reduction in its fuel consumption by 24%. Carbon dioxide emissions and carbon monoxide emissions also fell by 28% and 22%, respectively.

Massive ships can save 500,000 dollars annually in fuel costs by installing this system as an add-on with the engine. The company is planning to test the system for longer voyages next year.

Newlight got regulatory approval for the system from RINA and also bagged the classification society’s Hydrogen Innovation Award.

It also informed about received several agreements from shipping companies to install it on their vessels, and till now it has 12 such orders in its pipeline.

The system works by releasing hydrogen into the combustion process within the ship engine. It has a controller which in real-time manages the amount of hydrogen released as the conditions of the engine change depending on ship speed, sea conditions, load, etc.

Additionally, the system can go into operation in two weeks and does not need a drydock, meaning it is easy to install and also not expensive for shipowners who want to upgrade their fleet without spending vast sums of money on newbuilds that can run on alternative fuels.

The system extracts optimum energy during the combustion cycle and can operate using diesel too when hydrogen is not available.

Shipping operations depend on liquid fuel, which makes up most of the operating costs, so fuel reduction leads to savings, especially on longer voyages, which could be highly significant for shipping companies.

Newlight has suggested that its hydrogen-hybrid concept could lead to low costs and reduce the environmental footprint of a ship without replacing the ship’s propulsion system and has environmental advantages as well, since it lowers harmful emissions.