A pioneering research project, led by leading UK battery specialist AceOn, has been awarded a £4.6million grant to help power a green future for the maritime industry and establish the UK as a world leader in marine renewable technologies.
The RESTORE project which gets under way in April, sees AceOn leading a consortium of pioneering businesses and organisations – Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, Engas Global, Liverpool John Moores University, Newcastle University, Taurus Engineering and CAGE.
The Government grant, awarded by Innovate UK, is to develop ground-breaking ways of converting crew transfer vessels from diesel to battery and hydrogen power. The project will trial a number of ways in which the vessels – used to ferry crew to offshore locations such as windfarms – can be retrofitted with sustainable, green hydrogen and battery technology to remove the need for fossil fuels.
AceOn managing director Mark Thompson said the project brought together a hugely talented team at the cutting edge of innovation who could lead the way in an emerging new market.
The boat being used for the project is based in Blyth, in Northumberland, on the doorstep of a planned new UK gigafactory which would also play an essential part in developing the UK’s battery and electric capacity, he said.
Mr Thompson said: “I can think of no better place to showcase AceOn and our battery expertise, together with the rest of this exciting consortium, than next to the planned 30GW battery plant, which will produce the batteries need to decarbonise the marine sector technologies for the marine industry are very often limited to onshore/in port solutions.
“As well as reducing those maritime emissions, this project can also help close the loop in the offshore wind industry by zeroing the emissions which were previously created by the vessels.”
