ABB to install Onboard DC Grid on hybrid wind farm SOV

ABB will optimise the safety and environmental credentials of a new Louis Dreyfus Armateurs wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) by installing Onboard DC Grid power distribution to help enable cost-efficient integration of batteries. The hybrid system enables operation with fewer running generators. The Onboard DC Grid will integrate two sets of batteries used primarily for spinning reserve and peak shaving. The whole power system is controlled by an integrated power and energy management system, enabling the generators to run at variable speeds and charge the batteries. “This project shows how energy storage is a cost-effective solution that maximises energy efficiency and safety,” said John Olav Lindtjørn, global product manager for Onboard DC Grid at ABB Marine & Ports. “Energy storage can be used for many purposes on board; sometimes it serves as the sole energy source but for this windfarm vessel it is being deployed as an effective supporting element for the main engine.” The Onboard DC Grid has been installed on a wide range of vessels including ferries, OSVs and a cable layer. The Louis Dreyfus Armateurs ship will be built by Cemre Shipyard in Turkey. The vessel design is an SOV vessel by Salt Ship Design. The SOV will operate on four wind farms off the German coast, enabling maintenance of the turbines by wind farm technicians.