Norway – A passenger ferry powered by TECO 2030 fuel cells will be built and demonstrated with funding from Horizon Europe totaling 13.5 million euros.
A grant of EUR 2.3 million has been set aside for TECO 2030. Through a full-scale hydrogen fuel cell demonstration in maritime applications, the project’s main objective is to hasten the transition to the secure use of sustainable fuels in waterborne transportation.
The collaboration consists of 14 members from seven different European nations, and it spans the entire value chain of innovation, including academic institutions, technology developers, shipyards, class societies, and maritime engineers.
The vessel
A 35-meter vessel with a 300-passenger capacity will be developed, built, and demonstrated as part of this Horizon Innovation Action project by TECO 2030. The vessel will be powered by the FCM400 fuel cell system. South European waters will be the vessel’s operating area. TECO 2030 will collaborate closely with each member in the consortium to design the whole value chain, ensuring that the vessel will meet all operating needs. This involves having a working hydrogen refueling system, meeting infrastructure requirements, minimizing operating costs, and managing data effectively.
The project
Experts from the European Commission examined the project proposal in terms of excellence, impact, and quality when it was submitted in April 2023. The project has been invited to begin the preparation of the Horizon Europe grant agreement because it was one of the best-scoring submissions to this call. The funding application procedure is anticipated to be completed later this year, and the project is anticipated to begin in or around January 2024.
As stated by more than 190 states in the 2015 Paris Agreement, renewable hydrogen is unanimously acknowledged as a key energy source in the worldwide fight against climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to the “well below 2°C scenario”.
Waterborne transportation, especially the usage of big seagoing vessels, continues to be a substantial source of greenhouse gas emissions, hence this industry must greatly increase its efforts through a variety of ways. A global agreement was made within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2018 to cut all GHG emissions from maritime transport by at least 50% by 2050, using 2008 as the baseline year.
