Pioneering clean energy company MarineSolar Energy Solutions™ and Sustainable Motion (SU|MO), a specialist in high-frequency measurement and IoT solutions, have partnered to develop and validate a high-frequency energy monitoring and reporting capability for MarineSolar’s NanoDeck™ platform.
MarineSolar's COO Joep Groot with SuMo Directors Rob van der Stel and Martijn De Munnik. Image Credit: MarineSolar Energy Solutions™
Unlike many technologies adapted from land-based applications, both MarineSolar and SU|MO have developed their solutions specifically for the demands of the maritime environment. Their shared expertise in designing systems that perform reliably at sea places the partnership in a unique position to deliver robust, vessel-ready monitoring and reporting capabilities.
The project, which will give shipowners and charterers the ability to accurately monitor, verify and report onboard renewable energy generation and solar performance, will be delivered from MarineSolar’s European office at the maritime innovation hub RDM Rotterdam, where SU|MO is also based.
During the proof-of-concept program, MarineSolar’s NanoDeck™ platform and SU|MO’s monitoring technology will be integrated within a dedicated test environment to assess how effectively renewable energy data can be collected, synchronized and displayed through local and cloud-based dashboards. It will provide accurate, up-to-date information on how much renewable electricity NanoDeck™ generates on individual vessels or across entire fleets. It will also offer insights into reductions in fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs, while highlighting performance trends to support ongoing optimization.
The findings will help define the functionality and requirements for a future commercial monitoring and reporting platform.
Joep Groot, COO at MarineSolar Energy Solutions™, said: “Generating renewable energy onboard is only part of the equation. Shipowners and charterers need clear, reliable data to quantify the value it delivers. But monitoring renewable energy at sea requires specialist expertise. While many reporting systems have been developed for land-based applications, vessels present a completely different operating environment, with constantly changing conditions and a moving platform.
“SU|MO’s experience working onboard ships makes them an ideal partner to help us develop a solution that is purpose-built for operation at sea. This proof of concept represents an important step towards providing customers with the operational insights they need to maximize the value of onboard renewable energy.”
Rob van der Stel, Director at SU|MO, added: “NanoDeck™ has enormous potential to provide vessels with clean, renewable electricity. Our role is to make that performance visible and measurable by demonstrating how high-frequency operational data can be captured, analyzed and presented in a way that delivers meaningful insights.
“By validating this approach, we will establish the foundations for a reliable monitoring and reporting platform that supports MarineSolar and its customers as the company moves towards commercial deployment.”
Following the proof of concept, the partners will carry out a gap analysis to define the functional and technical requirements for a full-scale industrial maritime application. The companies intend to develop a joint roadmap to support future deployment.