Brief Overview of Battery Technologies in the Maritime Industry

Introduction

Batteries more often than not are a component in something that we all use on a daily basis. Batteries are devices that use chemical energy to store electrical energy. They consist of three main components, the anode, the cathode, and the electrolyte, each of these have specific characteristics that when combined in a specific way function to create a power source. The anode and the cathode, often referred to as electrodes, are typically made of metals that act as terminals that can interact together to generate the flow of electricity. The chemical reactions that occur on the electrodes create the flow of electricity in the system. The electrolyte is the medium that then allows the flow of electrical charge between the cathode and anode. 

Battery technology is one of the many options that has piqued the interest of the maritime industry as it is striving towards building more environmentally friendly ships of the future. With industry wide increased focus on decarbonisation the potential use of alternative fuels, cleaner energy sources, emission-free solutions such as battery technologies are gaining momentum. Numerous stakeholders are continuing to find ways to adapt to the shifting trends in energy management and propulsion technology. This trend has been highlighted by the increase in fully electric vessels that have been created over the last decade., Based on data from Statista, there were only 10 ships with fully electric and hybrid battery systems in 2010. As of 2020, the figure is at 398.¹