TECO 2030 Proposes Hydrogen Fuel Cell Barge to Supply Renewable Energy

Addressing the challenges of bringing renewable energy to areas that lack the infrastructure or even to ships at anchor, Norway’s TECO 2030 has presented a new concept for a power barge powered by hydrogen fuel cells. According to the company, the barge would be a fully contained solution with the fuel cells creating a scalable multimegawatt solution for electricity production for shore power.

“The floating and mobile solution for shore power in locations with an insufficient electrical grid and ships at anchor will become a game changer in reducing and eliminating harmful emissions along our coastlines and in ports,” predicts Tore Enger, Group CEO of TECO 2030. “Fuel Cells can be used for almost any application and infrastructure solutions where power generation is needed.”

The concept calls for fully containerized fuel cells to power the barge. The solution comprises TECO 2030 fuel cell modules, batteries, power electronics, safety- and automation systems, hydrogen storage, and a refueling solution. The TECO 2030 Fuel Cell Generator the company reports is a complete hydrogen-powered genset that can replace both on- and offshore fossil-fueled generators for shore power solutions, strengthening of local grids, emergency generators for data centers, and more.

According to the company, the concept forms a scalable multimegawatt solution for electricity production for shore power from hydrogen. They said the concept would allow for major benefits in terms of increased safety, reduced operational costs, reduced land area use, and increased flexibility while also eliminating harmful emissions.

Last week, the European Commission propose a fund to make available over €5 billion for European transport infrastructure projects. The funding will support projects across all EU Member States with a focus on rail, inland waterways, ports, and roads that connect Europe.

The proposal is the latest in a series of concepts proposed by different companies to provide renewable energy power barges. In April 2022, Samsung and Seborg reported that they were studying developing a floating nuclear power plant barge using Compact Molten Salt Reactor technology developed by Seaborg. The goal is to have an 800 MW model for the concept completed in 2023.