As part of the energy transition, suitable options for operating marine vessels without the use of fossil fuels also need to be developed. The goal of the ASAP project is to investigate the potential for reducing environmental pollution in the shipping and marine transport industries. This will be achieved through the use of super condensers for electricty-powered ferries and ships. Super condensers have several advantages over batteries: a much higher number of charging cycles, a higher C-rate (faster charging and discharging), and a better environmental footprint in terms of their production and disposal
The development and testing of the intelligent integration of the charging infrastructure in the energy grid is intended to contribute to stabilising the power supply as part of the energy transition.
The concept will be tested in a real demonstration with a trial vessel in the inland bodies of water around Hamburg. The charging infrastructure will be constructed and installed at the CC4E in Hamburg-Bergedorf. The performance data and operating profiles of ferries and ships will be recorded to enable the transfer to large-scale applications. These will then be duplicated as part of the test operations where possible.
This will facilitate achieving the following goals as part of the ASAP project:
- Very rapid charging cycles in ferry operations (a few minutes)
- Development and conceptualisation of a charging infrastructure for electricity-powered ferries with a SuperCap energy-storage system
- Development of operating concepts with a view to the optimal use of renewable energies and charging management that benefits the grid
- Completion and evaluation of practical tests with the charging infrastructure and a test vehicle to validate and optimise the operating concepts
- Conceptional transfer of the results to larger-scale applications and development of recommendations for action
- Estimation of the potential reduction in CO2 emissions and the benefits to the overall power grid
