HAV Hydrogen and NES test hydrogen fuel cell with maritime control system

October 19, 2023, by Aida Čučuk

Norwegian supplier of hydrogen-based energy systems for vessels HAV Hydrogen and maritime supplier Norwegian Electric Systems (NES), both subsidiaries of HAV Group ASA, have completed a laboratory test of a hydrogen fuel cell in combination with a maritime control system.

The scope of the project was to test NES’ proprietary control system and interface with a hydrogen fuel cell and associated drives, including validation of the system design, software and hardware, HAV Hydrogen said, noting that in addition, control, safety systems and barriers for the integration of the fuel cells were tested.

In the test, the hydrogen fuel cell was benchmarked against a “meticulously” simulated load profile, developed using advanced simulation tools from the FreeCO2ast project, HAV Hydrogen added.

“This brings us another step closer to realizing our objective of making the first commercial delivery of a fully integrated hydrogen-based energy system for ships,” said Kristian Osnes, Managing Director of HAV Hydrogen.

Siv Remøy-Vangen, Managing Director of NES, remarked: “Securing a robust interface between the hydrogen fuel cell and the control system is normally a complex and challenging task. We made it work in a short space of time, which is something we are very proud of.”

To note, the test was conducted in cooperation with Clara Venture Labs, hosted by Sustainable Energy at the Energy House test facility at Stord, Norway. Independent research institute Sintef Ocean, which developed the test’s simulation model, was also a project partner, HAV Hydrogen noted.

“This test was an important milestone, providing valuable learning for the future development of a large-scale hydrogen-based energy system,” concluded Osnes.

The test is said to be a continuation of the FreeCO2ast project that has, according to HAV Hydrogen, developed a high-capacity hydrogen-based energy system that can be retrofitted onboard ships.

The FreeCO2ast project is supported by the Norwegian Research Council and Innovation Norway. Major project partners include Havila Kystruten and HAV Group’s subsidiaries HAV Design, NES and HAV Hydrogen, in addition to the research institutions Sintef Ocean and Clara Venture Labs.