Entire regions need electricity? Here is the solution: a huge floating pile of green energy

PowerX, a Japanese start-up , recently unveiled the world's first electric tanker specifically designed to store and transport renewable energy from areas of excess generation to regions that need it most.

This revolutionary vehicle, named "X" , is 140 meters long and is powered by 96 LFP batteries. It is part of the Japanese company's ambitious project, known as the " Ocean Power Network Project" . Scheduled to be operational by 2026, this tanker has unique features that set it apart.

More than an electric boat to transport energy

Despite the rapid progress towards a more sustainable future and the increasing electrification of land transport, as well as significant advances in air transport, there is a need to find alternatives to synthetic fuels for maritime transport.

According to a study by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the maritime transport sector emits more than one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. However, due to the special characteristics of these huge ships, it is difficult to make them more efficient.

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The Japanese start-up PowerX, led by Masahiro Ito , has an ambitious vision: not only to promote the electrification of cargo ships, but also to create an " ocean electricity grid " by transporting renewable energy around the world.

To achieve this goal, the company's first achievement is an " energy transfer tanker " currently in production. This ship is 140 meters long and has a range of up to 300 km, which will allow it to cover short routes to transport clean energy, mainly offshore wind, from one grid to another or to islands in Japan, explains the CEO.

Specifically, the electric vessel is equipped with 96 lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries with a total capacity of 241 MWh , guaranteeing a lifespan of more than 6,000 cycles.

Source : Power X

PowerX CEO says their power monitoring system, including special emissions control and fire suppression components, monitors battery systems and charge controllers, while providing information on the remaining autonomy.

According to the company, tank batteries can be used to store and transport excess electricity produced from renewable sources in regions where it is abundant to geographically disadvantaged regions. This can be achieved by using existing port facilities, which are currently disused or obsolete.

The CEO of PowerX proposes adapting out of service or inactive thermal power plants located near ports as loading and unloading points for tanker trucks. In this way, energy can be transmitted to users via connections in the terrestrial network, thus allowing more efficient use of renewable energies.

Source : Power X

Knowing that they have a large workload ahead of them, PowerX says their battery design is highly scalable and expandable, which will allow more batteries to be installed on their vessels in the near future. This will help reduce production costs and pave the way for building larger electric transport ships , expanding the possibilities.

The company's immediate goal is to complete construction of their first vessel, dubbed "X", by 2025, with a view to making it operational the following year, once field trials have been completed. This electric tanker will then be able to connect power grids , offshore wind farms and islands to renewable energy sources , especially in areas where underground cables are not ideal due to seismic activity or deep water, for example .

To achieve this goal, PowerX has already entered into agreements with other companies, such as Kyushu Electric Power Co , as well as with the government of Yokohama , capital of the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa. Separately, later this year, PowerX plans to form a new company, “ Ocean Power Grid Inc ,” to coordinate battery tanker operations.

This start-up, which already unveiled part of its roadmap last summer, plans to manufacture its batteries in its first gigafactory located in Japan. This plant will have an annual production capacity of 5 GWh . PowerX also plans to produce stationary batteries for power grids, marine batteries and is developing other ongoing solutions, such as its "Hypercharger", an ultra-fast charger for electric vehicles up to 240 kW, powered by energies renewable.