In recent years, energy savings has become a hot topic in the shipping industry worldwide. Many shipowners increased their competitiveness by equipping hybrid solutions to reduce fuel consumption and increase their vessels’ energy efficiency. An obviously increased demand for hybrid shipping was noticed among Swedish shipping companies as they considerably benefited from energy efficiency solutions, which helped them creating savings every day.
One of the leading companies in this field is Finnish company WE Tech Solutions, which has been working on hybridization and energy efficiency since 2010. Most of its customers are Swedish shipowners, such as Terntank, Ektank, Stena Lines and Wallenius Lines.
Hybrid Solutions for Swedish Shipowners
WE Tech delivered its innovated technology to four vessels for Terntank, among which the chemical tanker M/T Ternsund was nominated for the Year’s Ship 2016 by prestigious Maritime Reporter & Engineering News.
The Power Take Out solution (PTO) was utilised on M/T Ternsund and its sister ships, which allows the turning-off of generators during sailing, thus 27 percent of fuels are saved per year. Power Take In solution (PTI), also known as Take Me Home mode, can help the vessel returning port even if the Main Engine is out of work.
The Power Take In solution also means that service and maintenance work can be done on the Main Engine during loading and unloading operation, which results also fuel savings per year.
The Stockholm-based shipowner Wallenius Lines recently used WE Tech’s solutions for four post-Panamax vessels and the Gothenburg shipowner Ektank ordered two chemical tankers with WE Tech’s technology.
The Technology Behind
The core technology of WE Tech’s efficiency solutions consists of WE Drive, variable speed generators with frequency converter technology and permanent magnet technology. WE Drive is often combined with a PTO solution where a power generator is installed on the propeller shaft that generates the vessel’s power grid.
“The same generator can also be run as an electric motor in a PTI solution, which involves driving energy into the propeller shaft to get an Auxiliary Propulsion System (APS). Then you have a Take Me Home function, which is often a requirement in the shipping industry”, explains Mårten Storbacka, Managing Director of WE Tech Solutions.
WE Tech’s solutions also include Boost Mode that provides auxiliary power to boost the Main Engine when the application finds itself in demanding situations, DC links that decrease energy losses in energy transmission, and battery packages that can be connected as energy storage for electrical load peak shaving and black-out prevention.
WE Tech’s hybridization and energy efficiency solutions helped Swedish shipowners to increase their competitiveness and to reach a greener level in shipping filed.
Read more: http://www.temaindustri.se/svenska-rederier-valjer-energisnala-fartyg/