HARPOONERS consortium to boost ship electrification via onboard ESS

February 18, 2025, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

Thirteen members of the HARPOONERS consortium intend to develop an onboard energy storage system that will reduce CO2 emissions.

The kick-off meeting of the HARPOONERS ship electrification project “Achieving high voltage, low weight, efficient electric powertrains for sustainable waterborne transport” was held earlier this month in Brussels, Belgium.

The initiative, led by the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation, Spain’s largest center of applied research and technological development, has a budget of around €7.5 million. The project is co-financed by the Horizon Europe program of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

As explained, the ultimate goal of the project is to promote the decarbonization of the sector through the electrification of ships, improving their competitiveness and optimizing energy storage systems in terms of weight, operational reliability and safety.

To achieve this, HARPOONERS will develop a compact modular system that will interconnect high-voltage grids on board, eliminating the need for transformers and cooling systems on ships.

The initiative seeks to create “a lighter, more reliable and safer” energy storage system that will facilitate the total electrification of small and medium-sized vessels, reducing CO2 emissions and their environmental impact, as well as manufacturing and maintenance costs.

As a member of the consortium, the Valenciaport Foundation will assist in defining the system requirements and specifications, including a study in the Port of Valencia. In addition, it will participate in the integration of the HARPOONERS solution into different types of vessels.

The HARPOONERS consortium involves 13 European entities: the Tecnalia Research & Innovation Foundation, the Valenciaport Foundation, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Opleidingscentrum voor Hout en Bouw (OHB), Corvus Energy Norway, Elkon Elektrik, Power Electronics España, Lloyd’s Register EMEA, Grimaldi Euromed, Inlecom Group, the Basque Maritime Forum and Lalemant.