The two-day ELECTRIC SHIP SUPER STORAGE EVENT that was part of the V-ACCESS project concluded in Trieste on 3rd December. The event focused on shipboard electrification through the use of innovative technologies, such as superconductors and supercapacitors for energy storage and was attended by all the companies and university research units involved in the project.

The V-ACCESS project, coordinated by the University of Trieste, is dedicated to the development of a new generation of hybrid energy storage system (HESS), combining superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) technology based on magnesium diboride (MgB2) with supercapacitors.

Combining these two technologies to support batteries constitutes a major innovation in terms of both performance and reliability across energy storage and the release of strong energy impulses.

The strength of this technology lies in its uniqueness, and the solution proposed by the project will be applied not only in shipping and ship electrification but also in energy-intensive industrial sectors. In addition, innovation in storage systems will play a key role in power systems and will also be essential to balance energy production and consumption in electricity grids in response to the increasing integration of renewable sources and the needs of the green deal.

The V-Access project has been financed with European funds for a value of € 5,000,000 and is optimised to integrate with battery systems on board vessels. The advantage of the solution designed as part of the project lies in the hybrid management of a superconducting SMES accumulator and supercapacitors. The SMES accumulator is made of MgB2 and was designed and built by ASG Superconductors, while the supercapacitors were designed and built by Skeleton as part of a project that also involves Fincantieri, VARD, RINA, RSE, SINTEF, the universities of Trieste, Genoa and Birmingham and Politecnico di Milano.

SMES superconductor technology is ideal for short-term, high-power energy storage, perfect for power modulation and instantaneous voltage stabilisation. Supercapacitors, on the other hand, are electrostatic storage devices that offer very fast power delivery and absorption (high power density) and have an extremely long service life (millions of cycles). The hybrid interaction of these technologies with traditional batteries, in addition to extending their use cycle, allows for innovative load management and therefore the reduction of CO2 emissions.

Tests on the SMES superconducting system created by ASG Superconductors and the Skeleton supercapacitors were carried out at the Electric TEst Facility (ETEF), the testing laboratory for applications of electrical energy systems in marine environments, born from the partnership between the University of Trieste, Wärtsilä and Fincantieri as part of the Italian General Secretariat of Defence’s national scientific and technological research programmes.

Giorgio Sulligoi, a full professor at UniTS, stated that ‘ETEF is the flagship project at Trieste’s experimental facilities, a hub where academic and industrial researchers work together to define the future of electric vessels.’ He went on to conclude that ‘the synergy between companies and the academic world behind the V-Access project has already made tangible steps towards hybrid electrification technology that will be useful and necessary not only in the shipping sector but in all applications that require large and rapid energy pulses.’

Pietro Tricoli of the University of Birmingham and technological coordinator of the project, added ‘the supercapacitor and superconducting SMES prototype has been tested in a highly realistic operational environment, aiming for a technological readiness level (TRL) of 5, a step ahead of future developments linked to projects for the development and installation of this technology on board the ship. ‘

Gianluca Bertossi, Managing Director of Wärtsilä Italia said: ‘The ETEF prototype is an important research and technological de-risking infrastructure for the on-board electrical systems of future vessels. It makes the pursuit of similar objectives equally possible for land-based applications that share similar requirements for power quality, quality of service and reliability. There is no system in Europe with comparable performance in terms of installed power, technological characteristics, performance and testing capabilities.’

Marco Nassi, CEO of ASG concluded: ‘the V-ACCESS project presented all of us with a challenge and we thank all the partners for the work that has led to the successful testing of our SMES at the invaluable ETEF. We believe that superconducting storage is a high-tech solution that is ideal for meeting the innovation and resilience needs of networks.’