Nidec sustainably powers mega yacht

The Wider 165 is now able to navigate in an eco-friendly manner, using power stored in its onboard batteries, reducing the consumption of fuel and emissions and making it possible to use all the on-board systems without needing to start the engines.

“This important project confirms our commitment to supporting innovation in an increasingly green viewpoint in the nautical sector, strategic for the promotion of more sustainable mobility,” explained Dominique Llonch, chief executive of Nidec ASI and chairman of Nidec Industrial Solutions.

“Wider 165 and its twin Wider 150 are a great source of pride for me, because they illustrate the adaptability of our solutions, which have applications not only for ships and ferries, but also for vessels with unique technical needs and assemblies,” he added.

The yacht can cruise in ‘zero emission’ mode for more than four hours at a speed of five knots without producing any emissions meaning the yacht can enter protected areas that would otherwise be impossible to reach in a vessel using traditional propulsions.

Battery recharging is made straightforward by the ‘fast charger’ mode whilst the ‘boost’ mode maximises performance by using both diesel and battery power.

The electric propulsion system is controlled by two motors with separate double winding. In the event of a malfunction in one winding, ‘low power’ mode is activated and the motor can function equally at half power.

Overall Nidec ASI has supplied common DC bus architecture, inverters for generators of current (four x 350kW), inverters for main propulsion (two x 531kW), inverters and transformers for board grid 230V & 400V/harbour grid, battery management (544kWh), power management system (PMS, HMI and remote control) and water cooled drive modules.