Page 61 - North American Clean Energy July/August 2019 Issue

Electri cation is the necessary next step toward digitalization, and the ushering in of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for
the maritime industry. roughout history, the industry has made signi cant developments during each global period of major technological advancement. Dating back to prehistoric civilization (when the rst vessels were all wind-powered)
all the way to the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries that introduced the steam engine. Sailors no longer needed to worry about wind conditions, and were able to
travel quicker to certain distances. We then progressed from dangerous steam engines to more reliable diesel engines, which brought down the cost and size of vessels.
While environmental and cost bene ts may be the biggest attraction for vessel owners today, what electri cation will really do is open a door to connectivity throughout the maritime industry, signaling the next big jump in technological advancement – fully autonomous vessels. ese vessels will use sensors that communicate with other ships and crews on shore to safely control, navigate, and drive the vessel.
We’re in the very early stages of evaluating how to reduce accidents, improve the life of seafarers, become more accurate with our tracking of vessels, and so much more. is is where the industry is headed, with electri cation laying the groundwork. But rst, we must overcome today’s challenges with marine chargers and electric standardization.
Visitors to the iconic Niagara Falls will soon be able to experience one of the US’s top landmarks emission-free. Two new passenger vessels will be powered entirely by high-capacity battery packs, becoming the rst all-electric vessels ever built in the US. e new vessels will bene t from zero-emission technology when they start operating later this year, allowing guests to experience Niagara Falls undisturbed by engine noise, vibration or exhaust fumes from a conventional diesel engine.
Ed Schwarz is Vice President of ABB Marine
& Ports, which researches and develops power solutions for marine applications - including power storage - for shipbuilders, owners and operators, and the entire renewable energy industry. Ed
Schwarz graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) in 2000, with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management. After sailing for MEBA on varies US agged merchant vessels for 7 years, and upgrading his license to an unlimited First Assistant Engineer he joined the shore-side of the maritime industry. His rst job after sailing was being responsible for aftermarket business
for North & South America for Voith Turbo in York, PA. In
2011 he was promoted to be responsible for all Voith Marine aftermarket business and moved to Germany to work directly with the factory. In 2014 Ed joined ZF Marine where he was the commercial vessel business development manager and later commercial thruster products manager. Continuing his career in ship prolusion Ed joined ABB Marine and Ports in 2017 as the Vice President of Sales responsible for developing and leading the new build sales team for North America.
ABB Marine & Ports /// www.abb.com/marine
Next generation lithium battery storage
Fortress Power’s new Fortress Power eVault Series o ers more power than ever before, a brand new LCD display with easy readability for state of charge, and maintains 6,000 cycles. e system has a powerful 15kWh. e eVault Series can work with most chargers and inverters available and utilizes the same safe Lithium Ferro Phosphate battery chemistry that is in the original generation.
Fortress Power /// www.fortresspower.com
Compact energy storage system
e compact VARTA pulse energy storage system has been updated. VARTA’s own linux-based VS- XMS operating system makes additional functions possible. Now, VARTA pulse neo can charge on a forecast basis, and is easy to integrate into Smart Home applications. anks to the high-power operating system, individual functions can be continuously added via a software update, without impairing the basic functions. New software updates can be installed faster and more easily, and the storage system is equipped for the future demands on the “Internet of ings”. VARTA pulse and VARTA pulse neo are available in two performance classes (3.3kWh and 6.5kWh) and are easily mounted
to the wall. e energy storage system can be installed in just 30 minutes, thanks to a plug-and- play facility, and can be combined with all sources of green energy. VARTA pulse neo has a standby consumption of 1.4W, and is quick to regulate. e storage system is suitable for anyone who wants to bundle a high energy density in a small space in a single or dual family home.
VARTA AG /// www.varta-ag.com
Large 48V lithium batteries
In addition to their newest 4LiFe series of LiFePO4 batteries, Iron Edison proudly assembles their high capacity 48 Volt Lithium Iron batteries for solar, battery backup, o -grid, and energy security. With capacities from 72kWh to nearly 300kWh, these batteries require zero maintenance, no watering, venting, equalizing or speci c gravity readings and are suitable for new or existing 48V systems. ey provide over 95% charge e ciency, 15-20 years of life with a daily 80% DoD, and can charge from solar, generator, or the grid. is solution incorporates Active BMS technology and up to 1,000 amps of peak charge / discharge current. Installation is simple.
Iron Edison Battery Company
/// www.ironedison.com
An interface between inverters and a monitoring solution Trimark Associates, Inc. has launched the Trimark SMA Gateway product. Designed around the Trimark Data Gateway (TDG), the SMA Gateway is a drop-in replacement for the discontinued SMA Sunny WebBox. e TDG is an industrial gateway loaded with a derivative of Trimark’s SCADA software. is platform provides a robust and resilient solution that will provide many years of reliable non-stop service in the demanding environments of photovoltaic power plants. e Trimark SMA Gateway ships with easy-to-understand instructions on how
to remove the old unit and install the new one. Once the unit is energized and connected to the inverter and a laptop computer, the technician will use a web browser to trigger the Trimark SMA Gateway to scan each serial port to nd all connected SMA inverters and map the data into the Trimark SMA Gateway.
Trimark Associates, Inc.
/// www.trimarkassoc.com
Scalable building block inverter for energy storage
e PowerBRiC inverter o ers the ability to parallel the inverter on both AC and DC sides, making it easily con gured into any size inverter in increments of 125kW. e PowerBRiC can operate from 200VDC up to 1500VDC, making it compatible with most current and future energy storage technologies. Air cooled, the PowerBRiC can operate in environments up to 131°F (55°C) (w derating), making it suitable for most applications.
LS Energy Solutions
/// www.ls-es.com
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