Battery project to drive clean energy shift

Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme and led by marine battery manufacturer Spear Power Systems, the Current Direct project will develop new technology to enable rapid adoption to reduce greenhouse emissions by 482,000MT of CO2 equivalents per year.

It will do this by developing an innovative interchangeable waterborne transport battery system and Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) Platform in an operational environment at the Port of Rotterdam that facilitates fast charging of vessels, fleet optimisation and novel business models.

Partner contributions

The project brings together thirteen partners from across Europe’s marine electrification value chain and will culminate in a demonstration of the Current Direct battery, shore charging and asset management platform by Kotug in Rotterdam.

In addition, another project partner, Blackstone Technology will work on lowering the cost of manufacturing tomorrow’s 3D printed lithium-ion cells using state of the art active materials from Umicore.

Belgium’s University of Hasselt will develop physics-based models of the Current Direct cells that will help optimise the life and return on investment of battery systems deployed across Europe.

Foreship meanwhile will lend its expertise to EDP CNET’s knowledge of electrical markets to ensure the Current Direct platform targets optimal vessels and locations maximising reductions in emissions.

VUB’s material science experts are creating low-cost composites to improve the safety of battery packs that are designed for recyclability and feature VITO’s smart cell monitoring electronics.

Wärtsilä will develop modular battery containers and charging infrastructure that will be certified by Lloyd’s Register.