Eco Marine Power wins AiP for its rigid sails array

Japan-based Eco Marine Power has secured an Approval in Principle (AiP) from compatriot classification society ClassNK for its Renewable Energy System for Ships.

Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) is an advanced integrated system of rigid sails, marine-grade solar panels, energy storage modules, charging system and marine computers that enables ships to tap into renewable energy by harnessing the power provided by the wind and sun.

The sails are automatically positioned by a computer system to best suit the prevailing weather conditions and can be lowered and stored when not in use or during bad weather.

The rigid sails are based on EMP’s EnergySail technology and these renewable energy devices can even be used when a ship is at anchor or in harbour. Each EnergySail can be configured with a mix of sensors, photovoltaic panels or other power generation devices.

Included in the scope of the AiP certification from ClassNK are two main sub-systems:

• The EnergySail: a rigid sail type wind-assisted propulsion system that includes the sail structure, driving system and automated control system.
• Aquarius Marine Solar Power: an energy management system to utilize solar power that includes photovoltaic (PV) modules, batteries, electrical system and control system.

Together these sub-systems are integrated to form Aquarius MRE and within this system architecture various other equipment and sensors can also be connected.

The Aquarius MRE development project involves a number of companies working as strategic partners with EMP. These include KEI System, Teramoto Iron Works & The Furukawa Battery Company. In addition, several ship owners are cooperating with Eco Marine Power in terms of planning for sea trials of the systems onboard ships.

“The certification by ClassNK of Aquarius MRE including our EnergySail, is a major milestone for our project as it covers not only the hardware elements but also the integrated system architecture & computer systems,” Greg Atkinson, Chief Technology Officer at Eco Marine Power remarked.

“We believe our scalable and flexible marine renewable energy system will provide an important source of zero-emission power & propulsion for ships and assist the shipping industry meet its decarbonisation objectives.”