Rolls-Royce to build marine batteries

Rolls-Royce has delivered energy storage systems since 2010, but with batteries supplied by external providers. The SAVe Energy system, which will be produced at the Rolls-Royce Power Electric site in Bergen, will be fitted under several of the company’s current projects, including the Hurtigruten cruise vessels to be upgraded to LNG-battery propulsion and a recently ordered advanced fishing trawler.

“The electrification of ships is building momentum,” said Andreas Seth, executive vice president, electrical, automation and control, commercial marine, Rolls-Royce. “Since 2010 we have delivered battery systems representing about 15MWh in total. The potential deployment of our patent pending SAVe Energy in 2019 alone is 10-18MWh.”

The liquid-cooled battery system features a modular design enabling it to be scaled according to energy and power requirements. It complies with international legislations for low- and zero-emission propulsion systems.

The development has been partly funded by the Norwegian Research Council of Norway’s ENERGIX program. The three ship owning companies involved in the development ensured that the system covers a wide variety of applications including ferries, cruise vessels and multi-purpose vessels.

SAVe Energy has been class approved by DNV GL, confirming that it has been developed in compliance with the newest 2018 rule set and is accepted for installation on all vessels classed by DNV GL.

Energy storage systems have several potential functions from peak shaving and spinning reserve through to full battery propulsion. Combined with engines in a hybrid solution, they can increase efficiency and reduce emissions by handling any surges in power demand while the engines operate at a steadier load.