Last week two Horizon Europe projects were launched: STEESMAT and FLEETfor55.
STEESMAT stands for Smart Transformer for Enhanced Efficiency and Sustainability in Maritime Transportation. FLEETfor55 is about State-of-the-art sustainable energy efficiency technologies roadmap for waterborne transport towards the fit-for-55 guidance compliance.
STEESMAT aims to develop groundbreaking power distribution systems for zero-emission ships, with technology that will simplify the integration of modern green energy sources.
Several use cases
This will be tested on the former Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel, KV Senja, now Research Vessel North Star.
“NTNU has been central in all the important marine and maritime transitions in Norway, from development of large concrete platforms for the North Sea, to floating platforms and subsea facilities, and now for the green maritime transition,” says Roger Skjetne, Professor at NTNU Department of Marine Technology.
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EU has granted 92 million NOK to the project (7,8 mill Euro).
FLEETfor55 will align the European waterborne sector with the EU’s “Fit for 55” targets for 2030, which is climate laws with the goal to reduce emissions in Europe by at least 55% by 2030.
“Together with 22 other European partners spanning the maritime value chain, we will develop a comprehensive roadmap to identify the most cost effective and sustainable implementation of energy efficiency technologies (EETs) onboard various types of vessels”, says Mehdi Zadeh, Professor at NTNU Department of Marine Technology.
To achieve the goal, FLEETfor55 will both evaluate new vessel design as well as retrofits.
“We will have ten use cases – four new vessel design and six retrofits,” says Zadeh.
FLEETfor55 is granted 7,5 million Euro equal to 88,5 million NOK from EU.
Innovative power system
“The Norwegian maritime industry is a global leader in green solutions. The STEESMAT project represents another technological leap forward,” says Ada M. Jakobsen, CEO of Maritime CleanTech.
She continues:
“The EU funding enables us to develop solutions that not only cut emissions but also streamline the adoption of sustainable energy sources. I am proud of our partners, who are working together to create a more efficient and climate-friendly shipping industry.”
- Maritime CleanTech is a Norway-based public-private partnership dedicated to developing sustainable shipping solutions and driving energy transition.
- With over 150 industry members, the organization leads numerous EU-funded initiatives that foster technological innovation and the development of new industries and value chains.
The STEESMAT project will develop an innovative power system based on Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC), replacing today’s conventional alternating current (AC) systems, including a MVDC grid and Solid-state transformers.
By enabling engines to operate more efficiently at variable speeds, the system will facilitate the seamless integration of multiple renewable energy sources on large vessels, including batteries, solar panels, fuel cells, and wind turbines.
The STEESMAT system will also reduce vessel weight and overall energy consumption.
This represents a critical technological breakthrough, positioning European industries at the forefront of sustainable maritime innovation.
13 partners in STEESMAT
Spearheaded by Maritime CleanTech, 13 European partners will collaborate on the development of an innovative power distribution system tailored to the needs of tomorrow’s emission-free vessels.
“Projects like STEESMAT and FLEETfor55 is very important for us to maintain an active collaboration with ambitious companies, where they contribute with best practice and technological details and we contribute with cutting edge scientific methods,” says Skjetne.
He continues:
“We look forward to leading the work package on “Smart management and control” in STEESMAT where we will have dedicated researchers working for the next 3,5 years.”
The project is expected to drive substantial emission reductions across the maritime sector.
23 partners in FLEETfor55
FLEETfor55 has 23 partners from all over Europe, from academia to industry, and from classification societies to ports and yards.
Both the STEESMAT and the FLEETfor55 projects are key components of the EU’s green shipping strategy.
STEESMAT is aiming for commercialization of the new technology by 2029.
The FLEETfor55 project will integrate a decision support system into a web-based digital platform to rapidly assess and benchmark where energy use and environmental compliance in a lifetime assessment for ships.
NTNU is also involved in other maritime EU projects: BlueBARGE and FLEXSHIP. Each project target goals to achieve zero emission shipping from different angles.
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