“Hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy, or be made ‘blue’ through CO2 capture,” explains Jostein Bogen, Vice President, Global Product Manager Energy Storage & Fuel Cells at ABB Marine & Ports. “Hydrogen can be used in production of different types of synthetic fuels, or e-fuels, which can then be used in internal combustion engines or in fuel cells. We will need to use hydrogen as an energy carrier to reach emission reduction goals for shipping, and in line with the Paris Agreement,” Bogen emphasizes.
He notes that biofuels are playing an increasingly important role, but still primarily as drop-in fuels to reduce carbon content. “Biofuels are generally not seen as a 100-percent solution, but more as additives or supplements,” he says.
Bogen points out that the process of creating energy to drive fuel cells is fairly straightforward, adding that fuel cells and internal combustion engines can be used in combination to provide greener power solutions.
In addition, he believes that marine transport will likely figure centrally into solutions for carbon capture and storage, as pipelines are simply not feasible for all transport of CO2 due to geographical and other restrictions. “This is a good example of what we mean when we say that shipping is part of the solution,” Bogen concludes.
