Energy Observer
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Energy Observer, launched in April 2017, is the first vessel autonomous in energy thanks to a mix of renewable energy and renewable
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
produced on board. Developed in collaboration with engineers from the CEA- the boat will test and prove the efficiency of a full production chain that relies on the coupling of different
renewable energies Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...
. Following its launch, the boat left in the Spring 2017 for a world tour lasting 6 years in order to optimize its technologies and lead an expedition that will serve durable solutions for
energy transition The energy transition is the process of downshifting fossil fuels and re-developing whole systems to operate on low carbon energy sources. More generally, an energy transition is a significant structural change in an energy system regarding ...
. The boat was nominated first French ambassador of the
Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
by the French Ministry for an ecological and solidary transition.


The project


The 1st hydrogen vessel around the world

Energy Observer is a project revolving around an experimental vessel and its expedition, that has for main purpose to find concrete, innovative, and successful solutions in favor of energy transition. Due to its technologies, it is the first vessel in the world capable of producing decarbonized hydrogen on board from sea water and using an
energy mix The energy mix is a group of different primary energy sources from which secondary energy for direct use - such as electricity - is produced. Energy mix refers to all direct uses of energy, such as transportation and housing, and should not be c ...
relying on renewable energies. It is often nicknamed "
Solar Impulse Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project's two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss p ...
of the Seas", because the technologies developed hint to the solar project of
Bertrand Piccard Bertrand Piccard FRSGS (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and environmentalist. Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3. He was ...
and
André Borschberg André Borschberg Royal Scottish Geographical Society, FRSGS (born December 13, 1952) is a Swiss entrepreneur, explorer, pilot, and speaker. He is the co-founder of the Solar Impulse project, the first ever round-the-world solar flight, success ...
, or even "Modern day Calypso", in regards to the displayed willingness of using the boat as a production platform for media content on ecology, sustainable development, and energy transition.


The scientific mission

Energy Observer is a floating laboratory, destined to test an innovative energy architecture in extreme conditions, to prove its feasibility onshore. The energy system encompasses 3
renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
sources (sun, wind and hydropower) and two types of storage (li-ion batteries for the short-term and hydrogen for the long-term). The ship can produce hydrogen directly onboard, through seawater electrolysis. The goal is to test and optimize these technological bricks, in order to have them working in harmony, and aim towards total energy autonomy. Each year, the vessel go back to the shipyard to analyze the navigation and the evolution of the embarked technologies.


The team

Victorien Erussard, offshore racer and merchant naval officer, will lead the expedition, along with Jérôme Delafosse, professional diver and producer of wildlife documentaries. By their side, a team of over 30 people, architects, designers, and engineers, spreading from
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, have been working since 2015 on refurbishing the
catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
. Energy Observer is a former race boat that has been reconditioned: Built in Canada in 1983 by
naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...
Nigel Irens Nigel Irens RDI is a leading yacht designer. Amongst his designs are the ''Adventurer,'' a 35m trimaran motor yacht which completed a record-breaking circumnavigation in 1998, and ''B&Q/Castorama'' a 23 m sailing trimaran used by Ellen MacAr ...
, under the supervision of sailor Mike Birch, the maxi-
multihull A multihull is a boat or ship with more than one hull, whereas a vessel with a single hull is a monohull. The most common multihulls are catamarans (with two hulls), and trimarans (with three hulls). There are other types, with four or more h ...
marked the evolution of its successors. Baptised Formule TAG, it was the first racing sailboat to break the symbolic 500 miles limit in 24 hours in 1984. The boat has since been lengthened four times and now displays the following dimensions: According to Victorien Erussard "Energy Observer is a conversion that has a double meaning: to recycle a reliable and lightweight catamaran which is an around the world record holder and to invest in research and development, instead of in composites".


Technologies used

Designed in partnership with a naval architect team and the CEA- of
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, this experimental vessel is going to be the first with autonomous means of producing
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
on board and without emitting
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...
using
renewable energies Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a Orders of magnitude (time), human timescale. It includes sources such as Solar power, sunlight, wind power, wind, the movement of Hydropo ...
. The boat will produce and store hydrogen using seawater thanks to an energy mix involving: 3 types of solar panels spreading over a surface of 130 square meters (21 kW peak), 2 vertical axis wind turbines (2 x 1 kW), 1 traction kite and 2 reversible electric motors (2x41 kW) of hydrogenation, 1 lithium battery (106 kWh), 1 desalinisator, 1 electrolyser, 1 compressor, 1
fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...
(22 kW), and 62 kg of hydrogen. The complete hydrogen system weighs 2100 kilos. A new, lighter battery will be implemented in 2019.


The expedition

Energy Observer launched in winter 2017 for a series of tests at sea before its big departure from
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...
in the spring. It will call in at
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
for a first event where the boat will be officially baptised. This event will celebrate the start of a six-year expedition, scheduled from 2017 to 2022, visiting 50 countries and 101 ports of call including: historical ports, wildlife sanctuaries, natural reserves, endangered ecosystems, and international events. Expedition goals include reconciling
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
and
technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...
, and proving that it is possible to reduce our impact on the environment without reducing our comfort.


Similar Projects

Energy Observer joins a vein of big projects for research and development sharing a calling for technology, society and the environment and carrying a message in favour of renewable energies. In this vein we can also name the polar schooner Tara, that has travelled across the oceans since 2007 for science and the protection of the environment,
Solar Impulse Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project's two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss p ...
, the first solar plane, or even Planet Solar which became the first solar electric vehicle ever to circumnavigate the globe in 2010. In October 2016, the foundation Race for Water Odyssey announced that it was introducing hydrogen technology to the Planet Solar catamaran utilising solely solar energy, for an expedition around the world with similar ambitions to the Energy Observer project.
Planned, but not yet realized ships with hydrogen fuel production aboard with renewable energies are the "orcelle". This ferry should be the "green flagship" of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, a Norwegian-Swedish shipping Company. She uses sun and wave energy to produce hydrogen aboard for propulsion of the vessel. Another hydrogen ship, also not realized so far, is the deepsea yacht "eco trimaran", using also the energy of sun and waves. Wind energy is utilized not by sails, but by a wind turbine. So this energy source may also contribute to hydrogen production aboard, even in mooring times.


References

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External links


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