Sterling PlanB and ICE Marine Design partner on ESS adoption

Canadian energy storage company Sterling PlanB and independent ship design group ICE Marine Design have signed a cooperation agreement to increase the uptake of energy storage systems (ESS).

The partnered sides have decided to combine knowledge and resources in order to boost the adoption of ESS and thereby accelerate the maritime industry’s energy transition.

ICE Marine Design, which provides designs for commercial ships, naval and coastguard ships, and vessels for the offshore oil, gas and renewable energy industries, will exchange market and technology information with Sterling PlanB to enhance the use of energy storage systems on ships and support the industry’s decarbonization journey. 

“ESS will be an essential part of shipping’s decarbonisation journey. Regardless of vessel type, all vessels can benefit from ESS installation helping them to save fuel, operate with a more stable load, and increasing safety with improved backup power,” Sterling PlanB CEO Brent Perry stressed.

“However, integrating battery technology into vessel design requires specific expertise, and it’s important that ESS installation is considered as an integral part of a project rather than an afterthought.”

“Sterling PlanB’s technology will help us meet our customers’ expectations of fuel efficiency, increased safety and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,” Steinar Draegebo, ICE’s Chairman and CEO added.

Sterling’s ESS system claims to meet the highest standards when it comes to safety, especially tackling the risk of fire due to thermal runaway.

Specifically, the system is in accordance with the classification society DNV’s new 2020 class rules for commercial vessel batteries. It mitigates the risk of the fire spread by eliminating the propagation of thermal runaway within a battery module.

On 27 May, the company successfully completed third round of A60 fire testing.

The A60 test examines risks such as a fire in the machinery space adjacent to the lithium energy storage system, and the potential for a battery to contribute its considerable energy to the intensity of an existing fire.

The testing process verified the potential for ESS to function safely without a dedicated battery room, surviving temperatures as high as 950ºC.

The test and the post-test dissection was attended by Lloyd’s Register and Transport Canada.