Rolls-Royce is launching a lithium-ion based energy storage system for ships that is clean, safe and cost-efficient.

Energy storage is a major investment for a ship owner, whose returns are maximised when the system is correctly sized for the specific ship and includes intelligent power control.

Rolls-Royce has been delivering energy storage systems since 2010, but they were previously supplied by
an external party.

Rolls-Royce now offers SAVe Energy — a cost-competitive, highly efficient and liquid-cooled battery system that is of modular design and complies with international legislation on low- and zero-emission propulsion systems.

SAVe Energy is be delivered from the Rolls-Royce Power Electric site in Bergen, and the development work has been partly funded by the Research Council of Norway’s Energix programme.

Three ship-owning companies — Color Line, Norled and the Norwegian Coastal Administration Shipping Co — have been partners in the development, ensuring that the energy storage system covers a wide variety of marine applications, including ferries, cruise vessels and multi-purpose vessels.

Andreas Seth at Rolls-Royce said: “The electrification of ships is building momentum. From 2010, we have delivered battery systems representing about 15MWh in total.

“However, the potential deployment of our patent-pending SAVe Energy in 2019 alone is 10-18 MWh.”