Wärtsilä Hybrid Centre to boost green shipping

The centre will also enable further development and deployment of the Wärtsilä HY hybrid power module and will be used to train crews and provide hands-on experience for technicians. The inauguration ceremony took place on October 17.

“Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine approach to delivering greater efficiencies, improved safety and enhanced sustainability is once again demonstrated with this innovative Hybrid Centre. This unique concept clearly shows the commitment we have to leading the industry towards a cleaner and more cost-effective future,” said Stefan Wiik, Vice President, Marine Power Solutions, Wärtsilä.

Data simulation

The real-scale hybrid centre, located in Trieste, Italy, contains an engine, batteries, power drives, a propeller load simulator utilising an electric motor, a power take off/in motor generator, together with the overall energy management system, the ‘brain’ of the Wärtsilä HY.

It will be capable of simulating operational data from the field, which will thus enable optimisation of the hybrid system to reach unprecedented levels.

Successful testing has already been carried out on Wärtsilä’s patented electric start-up procedure, utilising the power from batteries to deliver a smokeless start of the main engine.

The energy generated by the centre will be fed to the factory grid to provide sustainable power to the company’s production facilities.

The MS editor, Gavin Lipsith, will be on-site at the new centre on 18 October and will bring updates via social media throughout the day.