CFC Solutions based in Ottobrunn near Munich (Germany) recently received an order to supply a test version of the HotModule high temperature fuel cell for the “FellowSHIP” research project by the end of 2008. The HotModule will be installed in the gas-powered supply ship “Viking Energy” in order to test the suitability of fuel cells for the clean generation of onboard power on ships. The Hot- Module fuel cell will be integrated into the existing onboard supply of electricity and power and will cover 320 kilowatts of total requirements.

A group of Scandinavian and German companies are cooperating on this research project, with support from Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Following the successful conclusion of the concept phase, now for the first time in the world a ship is being fitted with a high-temperature fuel cell for operational trials. The fuel used will be liquid natural gas (LNG). The HotModule fuel cell from CFC Solutions features an electrical efficiency of 47 percent and is nearly free of harmful emissions.

The manager of the FellowSHIP project, Tomas Tronstad, pointed out: “By using the fuel cell we will be able to avoid an annual 4,755 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 33 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2) as well as 180 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) – equivalent to the emissions of approximately 20,000 cars.” environmental protection is becoming increasingly important in the shipping sector. Two thirds of worldwide cargo transport goes by ship. Ships are responsible for two percent of global CO2 emissions, up to 15 percent of NOx and about six percent of SOx.