Marine electrification and the future of decarbonization

As more organizations join the course to accelerate decarbonization and move towards sustainability, marine electrification?is relatively less talked about in the maritime industry.

There is no doubt that renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are promising, however, as the world switches to cleaner energy, developers are challenging themselves to more reliable energy efficient solutions.

Global maritime emissions have been rising and marine transportation is responsible for nearly 3% of global carbon emissions.

The shift to cleaner energy and alternative power generations is,?and will be,?essential for decarbonization,?with electrification as an industry?game-changer.

Acceleration towards electrified power

More organizations and governments are accelerating talks and decisions towards zero emissions. The UAE,?for instance, has always been at the forefront of supporting the maritime industry to ensure continued progress of the sector. That said, the UAE maritime week is set to return with an in-person event in December where amongst other issues, it will focus discussions on maritime decarbonization and sustainability for the future.

This makes marine electrification a topic of interest. This?is exciting because the maritime industry is not given much focus as land operations and Volvo Penta’s marine electrification becomes an area of focus.

Volvo Penta and marine electrification

With the aim of becoming a driving force in sustainable power solutions and supporting its decarbonization targets,?Volvo Penta?is going all out into electric?drivelines, offering?electrified?solutions in the maritime industry.

The switch from diesel-based technology to electrification comes at an opportune time when technology advancements are taking place fast.

The transition to marine electrification by Volvo Penta would mean shorter and faster charging times, easier accessibility to charging infrastructure, and enable smaller batteries, which in turn can reduce costs.

The transition is not only more sustainable but high?in?performance as well.

Better together

To accelerate their electromobility capabilities, Volvo Penta acquired majority shares in ZEM, a Norwegian marine battery and electric driveline solution supplier.

Volvo Penta and ZEM are equally interested in securing sustainable maritime solutions and the ambitions of becoming contributors to zero emissions. By sharing knowledge, experience, expertise and complementing each other, they can develop solutions that maximize performance and functionality.

Volvo Penta was already years into the electrification journey.?Having spent time building competencies, experiencing, and establishing technologies, to deliver a sustainable power solutions road map, the partnership is but an acceleration of an already started journey of delivering quality solutions to the maritime industry.

Al Masaood Power Division?is committed to providing solutions that are in line with sustainable development goals, and as?a long-standing partner of Volvo Penta,?we are eager to introduce the latest marine electrification options in the region.

Looking ahead

Meeting the demands of today’s market is not enough. We need to stay ahead of the game. As we rapidly advance marine electro-mobility with an aim to lower marine carbon footprints, there is undoubtedly going to be more changes and challenges in the marine industry. Marine electrification will however continue to offer the most optimal approach towards reducing emissions.?

With technological and digitalization changes, I expect to see a lot more close collaborations, combination of approaches and even more regulatory changes to accelerate the journey towards decarbonization and a potential route to zero emissions.

As technology develops, it means a lot of flexibility to enable smarter and more resilient systems that adapt to changing needs more easily. There will be changes in marine electrification over time, as we navigate the way to a renewable future.

I am keen to see the direction marine electrification takes here towards decarbonization as critical sustainability improvements are made.