Shipboard distributed energy resources: Motivations, challenges and possible solutions in the cruise ship arena

The International Maritime Organization has developed regulations intended to increase the ship's efficiency both in design phase, through the introduction of an Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), either in management phase, adopting the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). Several approaches and technologies adopted in land-based engineering in the field of energy efficiency can also be advantageous for marine applications. This is the case of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) solution applied in land-based microgrids, which increases both the system's efficiency and reliability. In this work, a distributed energy system will be considered for a 140000+ GRT cruise ship, installed for a superior performance in terms of safety and energy efficiency. Number, typology, size and integration on board of the generation units will be defined in relation with aspects of zonal independence, electrical load, weights, volumes, fuel tanks, supply systems, auxiliaries, with the minimum possible impact on commercially valuable space and a special focus on the fuel cells technology. The critical issues in relation with the present safety rules and the whole ship design process will be addressed as a fundamental aspect.