In an effort to develop batteries suitable for deployment in the waterborne transport sector, the Waterborne Technology Platform and the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) have formally signed a Joint Declaration which formalises the cooperation between the two organisations.
Climate change mitigation is amongst today’s most vibrant and pressing topics. As stated by António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General at the opening of COP27, “We need all handson deck for faster, bolder climate action.”
Waterborne transport moves nearly 90% of all international trade, more than 75% of external EU trade, and 40% of the internal EU trade.Undeniably, the sector is of strategic relevance to a functional society. Yet, waterborne transport is also responsible for around 13% of total EU transport emissions. Globally, waterborne transport emits over one billion tons of CO2, which accounts for 2-3% of total GHG emissions. Accordingly, the European Commission and the European waterborne transport sector have joined forces forming the Co-Programmed Partnership on Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport and increasing the development and uptake of zero-emission solutions for and by the European waterborne transport sector.
Dr Edel Sheridan, BEPA Executive Board European research organisations representative, said: “There is a great potential that can be unlocked through specific R&I focused on battery technology for the maritime sector to improve the performance and functioning of such systems. In particular we see potential for valuable collaboration in research to address this sector’s needs, but also to use synergies in future applications, for example, regarding fast charging.”
Electrification of the waterborne transport sector, besides the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable alternative fuels, will be a significant step to catalyse the transition to a zero-emission mode of transport. Batteries which take into account the specificities of the waterborne transport sector are crucial in this transition.
Both BEPA and the Waterborne Technology Platform have partnered with the European Commission in dedicated co-programmed European Partnerships to foster research in the battery and waterborne value chains, respectively. This declaration will ensure that the research priorities are aligned, avoiding duplication and creating synergies whenever possible.
Chairman of the Waterborne Technology Platform, Eero Lehtovaara, said: “As a diversified sector – in terms of ship size, ship types and voyage distances –waterborne transport will be dependent on various types of energy carriers to become a zero-emission mode of transportation. Batteries will be a key enabler to store green electrical energy to offer such zero-emission operation. I am very pleased about the cooperation agreement between BEPA and the Waterborne Technology Platform. This is essential to jointly set the next targets for research, development and innovation for the waterborne transport sector”
Franz Geyer, member of BEPA’s Executive Board and leader of BEPA’s Working Group on Mobility Applications, said: “With our common goal of decarbonisation, driven by the European Green Deal, we see the battery technology as an increasingly important sector to waterborne transport contributing to this goal. There is a huge variety of powertrain solutions for fully electric boats and hybrid solutions, for example, driven by a Fuel Cell and dynamic positioning which can benefit from the increased use of batteries. There is significant rapid growth of companies building the battery systems for all kind of ships, in particular in the Nordic regions of Europe”.
Together, Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) and Waterborne Technology Platform will contribute methodologically towards developing activities that will foster research, development and innovation of batteries for an electrified and sustainable waterborne transport sector.
