Foreship’s containerized battery energy storage system maximizes energy content in the fixed footprint of a 20-ft.-equivalent-sized structure. Known as an E-House, this installation fulfills all regulatory requirements for structural integrity and fire safety. It is permanently welded to the ship as an extension of its infrastructure and is generally connected to existing cooling, electrical, machinery and fire-safety systems.

While the setup can be configured to provide AC or DC output, Foreship’s studies reveal DC voltage to be the preferred option as it maximizes energy density from the same E-House and, thanks to the limited number of main components, minimizes fault occurrence. It is also adaptable to different power levels and offers a lower build cost per kilowatt-hour than its AC counterpart.

The EU-funded project Current Direct is exploring the potential of swapping the E-House when the batteries are empty. The target time, as defined by the EU project, for this exchange is just 5 min., reducing port time significantly. By eliminating the need for shore-connection infrastructure, the method minimizes capital expenditure.

Foreship sees swappable E-Houses as a viable means of cutting marine emissions–and one that will accelerate the electrification of inland-waterway traffic.

The company’s research into these systems as part of Current Direct, which centered on container ships operating on inland waterways, found that vessels fitted with three E-Houses traveled an average distance of 80 km between swaps, while those equipped with four E-Houses were able to travel 100 km.

Meanwhile, ships sailing downstream traveled an average of 120 km between exchanges with three E-Houses, and 150 km with four.

Foreship also noted that the number of E-Houses required per vessel varied depending on ship type, size and power demand.

Learn more at: www.foreship.com/en.