Hydrogen & Ammonia: Continuous attempts from the marine sector

Wärtsilä continues to lead in the transformation of the energy and marine transport sector by seeking state-of-the-art carbon-free solutions, through a developing project to establish the fuels of the future. Across advanced testing with various fuels on their engines, the Finnish company is a pioneer in the adoption of hydrogen and ammonia as sustainable fuels.

Both hydrogen and ammonia are free of carbon, which entails that their consumption does not produce any CO2 emissions. Recently, full-scale engines were tested at the facilities of Wärtsilä in Vaasa, Finland, in order to estimate the optimum operational parameters for the use of the subject fuels. The results are noticeably uplifting, with the trial engine module using fuel that contains 70% ammonia. At the same time, additional trials were successfully conducted on another engine which was operated with pure hydrogen as fuel.

More tests will follow in the upcoming years, aiming to obtain the finest solutions for internal combustion engines which are applicable to electric energy production stations while also onboard vessels. Thus, allowing the transition to a future free from carbon, where green fuels will be leading.

“For electricity generation, the amount of renewables globally is growing rapidly, which is vital for being able to comply with the Paris Agreement. To achieve the transition to 100% renewable energy by the middle of the century, a significant amount of flexible balancing power is needed as a complement to ensure a stable energy supply, when the sun is not shining or the wind is not blowing. There will be different balancing power technologies, but combustion engines and battery storage will be part of the core solutions. By developing engines that can run on green hydrogen, we are enabling that grid balancing can be done via a 100% renewable process, thereby enabling the energy systems of tomorrow,” added Håkan Agnevall.

Source: Wärtsilä