Artemis Technologies has partnered with electricity supplier Power NI, part of Energia Group, to provide renewable electricity for the world’s first 100% electric high-speed foiling passenger ferry.
The partnership, known as Project Green Iron, will trial capturing green energy from an Energia Group wind farm in County Antrim to operate the Artemis EF-24 Passenger ferry’s Belfast to Bangor pilot scheme. This innovative green energy pilot aims to maximise the use of renewable wind energy by matching times when there is low demand and high wind generation. The pilot project is part of the work of the Belfast Maritime Consortium which was established to launch the advanced high-speed zero-emission passenger ferry and develop its technical and operational requirements. The consortium, led by Artemis Technologies, brings together 14 partners from across industry, academia and local government. It is funded by UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund.
The travel time along Belfast Lough for passengers on the electric foiling ferry, operated by Condor Ferries, will be around 25 minutes. This will reduce congestion, noise, and air pollution along the A2 route connecting both cities. The pilot scheme will showcase what is possible with the appropriate maritime infrastructure in place.
The Artemis EF-24 Passenger vessel is based on the Artemis eFoiler system, which allows it to fly above the waves producing no emissions in operation, offering a comfortable ride for passengers and creating minimal wake to protect shorelines. Developing a green charging solution in collaboration with Power NI means the ferry can use 100% renewable electricity – another step forward on the global mission to decarbonise the maritime industry. The name Project Green Iron stems from the term ‘cold ironing’, i.e. providing shoreside electrical power to ships at berth.
Energia Group’s Corporate Development Manager, Gavin Hickey, said: “The wind farms are often forced to curtail – or turn down – how much energy they can generate because there isn’t enough demand from customers. This means Northern Ireland is unable to take full advantage of the available renewable electricity. Last year in Northern Ireland this lost opportunity came to over 130,000 MWh. Project Green Iron seeks to take full advantage of Northern Ireland’s renewable electricity by creating flexibility in vessel charging patterns to shift recharging to align with times when there otherwise would be excess renewable energy and system curtailment. If we can increase demand at times when there is excess renewable energy, this will help in balancing the grid, contributes to grid stability, and reduces the need for fossil fuel-based backup power generation. We hope this demonstration scheme will prove the concept so that we can develop this further in other parts of the power system to ensure we’re making the most of the renewable electricity available to the system to decarbonise demand.”
To implement this new solution for the ferry pilot scheme, Power NI will install smart meters and connected sensor devices at Energia Group’s Long Mountain Wind Farm in County Antrim and the Artemis Technologies charging depot in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The two locations will be linked in the cloud to enable real-time simultaneous communication and control over electricity generation and demand.
Prof Katrina Thompson, Programme Director, Belfast Maritime Consortium, said: “We are delighted to be working with Power NI on this project which will enable us to use 100% renewable energy to power our Artemis EF-24 Passenger ferry. It’s so important to make the best use of the valuable energy created by the wind farms in Northern Ireland and for it not to be wasted. Through Belfast Maritime Consortium, close relationships have developed between a wide range of organisations who share a desire to decarbonise the maritime sector. Project Green Iron has evolved directly from this. Once this new scheme has been tried and tested, we hope to expand this technology out to areas of the world keen to operate zero emission vessels where there are difficulties connecting to the electricity grid. That is a very exciting prospect.”
Image: Artemis EF-24 foiling passenger ferry (source: Artemis Technologies)
