Parkwind installs first charging station for electric ships at sea
The energy used is generated on-site, meaning in the North Sea, some 47 kilometres off the Belgian coast. The charging connection works hands-free. As the vessel approaches, the connector is lowered from the offshore station into a sort of funnel mounted on board the ship.
The cable system has a “full passive and active compensation mode,” so that it compensates the ship’s movement due to sea currents without the plug disconnecting. It is designed for Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) and Service Operation Vessels (SOV), charging them with up to 2MW and 8MW, respectively. Moreover, it can also supply “offshore power to other conventional offshore vessels on standby, dramatically reducing their emissions from diesel generators,” Parkwind points out.
The operator also emphasises that the installation and commissioning of the system at the offshore wind park took only two days.
The charging system was developed together with UK-based MJR Power & Automation. The system has been tested “successfully without failures, mishaps, or component damage,” Parkwind emphasises. MRJ will now take the lessons learned from these tests to develop its charging system further, which it claims will be the first commercial offshore charging system worldwide. First deliveries are scheduled for Q1 2025, though the companies do not mention whether these will be installed in other Parkwind offshore wind parks or be delivered to other wind park operators as well.
Kristof Verlinden, head of operations and maintenance at Parkwind, explained the impact: “We are committed to making all of our activities as sustainable as possible, and this is a game-changer for our maintenance vessels, which can now access green energy direct from our wind turbines as they carry out their work.”
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