ELIRE Maritime and consortium partners including Schneider Electric, Ricardo and the University of Strathclyde have completed a UK-funded feasibility programme for a fully grid-independent floating hydrogen power hub for ports.
The project, funded through the UK’s Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition Round 6 (CMDC6), validated a floating system capable of supplying clean shore power directly to vessels without relying on existing port grid infrastructure. According to the consortium, the concept is aimed at ports struggling with limited grid capacity, high infrastructure costs and lengthy permitting procedures for conventional shore power installations.
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Modular floating energy system
The Hydrogen Floating Power Hub combines hydrogen storage, fuel cells, battery storage and onboard renewable generation on three interconnected hexagonal floating platforms with a combined footprint of 1200 m2.
In its validated configuration, the system can provide 5 MW of continuous power output through both 6.6-kV and 11-kV shore power connections, sufficient for medium-sized cruise vessels and other large maritime assets. The platform integrates approximately 45 MWh of battery energy storage, modular fuel cell systems and a grid-forming AC/DC electrical architecture.
The system consumes around 7500–8000 kg of hydrogen per week, stored in modular ISO-compatible low-pressure containers mounted directly on the floating structure. Seven onboard hydrogen tanks are included in the current design, with refuelling expected twice weekly. Solar panels contribute up to 146 kW of renewable energy.
Instead of relying on large peak-load generators, the concept uses modular 1.3-MW fuel cells operating continuously to gradually charge onboard batteries before rapidly discharging energy when vessels are at berth.
‘Think of it as charging a giant floating battery throughout the week and then releasing that energy rapidly when the vessel arrives,’ explains ELIRE Maritime CEO Luke Jenkinson. ‘That changes the economics and deployment model for maritime electrification.’
Technical validation
The six-month programme included hydrodynamic, structural, electrical and operational testing. Wave tank tests carried out by the University of Strathclyde validated platform stability, structural integrity and multi-platform interconnectivity under varying sea conditions.
Triton Anchor completed mooring and anchor system studies and reported no major technical barriers to deployment. Ricardo and Rux Energy validated the hydrogen-to-power systems, while Schneider Electric tested the grid-forming inverter systems and battery energy storage systems for both 50 Hz and 60 Hz networks.
According to the consortium, the integrated system can supply around 91 MWh of energy per week while supporting repeated vessel charging operations without major civil works, land reclamation or grid reinforcement.
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Emissions reduction
Feasibility-stage emissions analysis by Ricardo indicated that the system could reduce emissions from vessels at berth by approximately 77 per cent compared with onboard diesel generation, even when accounting for hydrogen production, transport and storage losses. The consortium estimates the concept could eliminate around 47 tonnes of CO2 emissions per vessel per week, while also reducing NOx, SOx and particulate emissions by avoiding the use of auxiliary diesel engines during port stays.
Jenkinson stresses that the concept is not intended to replace existing grids, but to offer ports a deployable alternative where grid access remains a bottleneck. ‘Ports do not simply need lower-cost energy, they need energy infrastructure they can actually deliver,’ he says.
Picture: The Hydrogen Floating Power Hub combines hydrogen storage, fuel cells, battery storage and onboard renewable generation on three interconnected hexagonal floating platforms with a combined footprint of 1200 m2 (image by ELIRE Maritime).
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