Onboard renewable energy solutions and energy saving measures to reduce the fuel consumption of ships by at least 55% (ZEWT Partnership)

This Destination addresses activities that improve the climate and environmental footprint, as well as competitiveness, of different transport modes.

The areas of rail and air traffic management will be addressed through dedicated Institutional European Partnerships and are therefore not included in this document.

This Destination contributes directly to the Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations ‘Green transition’, ‘Digital transition’ and ‘A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe’.

In line with the Strategic Plan, the overall expected impact of this Destination is to contribute to the ‘Achieving sustainable and competitive transport modes’.

The main impacts to be generated by topics under this Destination are:

Zero-emission road transport

1. Accelerated uptake of a zero-tailpipe emission ecosystem, with interoperable technological solutions developed at system level (vehicles, infrastructure, user and energy grid) that support the global competitiveness of the EU transport and mobility system.
2. Zero-tailpipe emission mobility solutions developed that are affordable, efficient, user-friendly, inclusive, safe and circular with concepts and technologies that are easy to deploy, considering needs, behaviours and socio-economic conditions of all end-users.
3. Clean mobility solutions for a climate neutral and environmentally friendly and zero pollution mobility with a higher level of circularity;
4. Increased responsiveness of zero tailpipe emission vehicles and systems to diverse societal interests and concerns.

Aviation

1. Enable breakthrough technologies and innovations that will contribute to the design (addressing also eco-design and circularity principles), manufacturing, maintenance and operations of new generation aircrafts, also powered by renewable energy and sustainable aviation fuels, for a competitive and clean EU aviation ecosystem (including airports).
2. Derisk and accelerate the introduction of new digital technologies (with emphasis on AI) at all levels in the industrial aviation ecosystem, while addressing all safety-related issues in collaboration with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Waterborne transport

1. Higher autonomy range in electric and hybrid vessels.
2. Uptake of renewable and low carbon fuels and improved knowledge on the suitability of innovative renewable and low carbon fuels and other energy carriers for waterborne transport.
3. Support the objectives of the European Port Strategy and Waterborne Industrial Strategy, contributing the role of ports as energy hubs, improving efficiency and safety through digitalization, improving the resilience and security of the transport network, as well as increasing the competitiveness of the industrial and technology EU capabilities.
4. Significant reduction of emissions from large vessels due to the merging of energy efficiency and renewable and low carbon fuels.
5. Sustainability of waterborne transport by design, considering air and water pollution, circularity and life-cycle assessments in shipbuilding.
6. Improved safety of seafarers, port workers and the environment.

Transport-related environment and health

1. The better monitoring of the environmental performance and enforcement of emissions regulation and biodiversity protection in order to reduce the overall environmental impact of transport (e.g.: as regards biodiversity, noise, pollution and waste) on human health and ecosystems.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

Expected Outcome:

Project’s results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

1. Full-scale demonstration of the combined solutions aiming to reduce ship GHG intensity and energy savings by at least 55%, compared to 2008 levels.
2. Development of a standardized framework to verify improvements stemming from energy efficiency measures and standardized interfacing with certification of renewable energy solutions to strengthen the implementation of FuelEU Maritime.
3. Explore and establish assessment criteria, and sea-trial procedures for the combination of solutions.
4. Adapt digital solutions towards standardised interface layers (hardware and software) to introduce data-driven optimisation and seamless integration.
5. Facilitate the retrofitting of existing vessels with zero emission energy sources in combination with energy efficiency measures up to 2030.
6. Address the safety and operational impacts on ships, ports and other land infrastructure, as well as training gaps in terms of skills and competencies necessary for the adoption and operation of these technologies onboard ships.
7. Strengthen market confidence in the integration of technologies and ensure sustainability and continuation of project outputs, including the integrated technologies.
8. Address possible trade-offs with air and water pollution (unintended higher NOx or Black Carbon, ammonia dispersion, etc.) linked to decarbonization (technologies and fuels).

Scope:

One of the key areas in the waterborne transport domain aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and subsequently reducing emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutants is the exploration, implementation, and assessment of renewable energy solutions and energy-saving measures. To this end, numerous advancements (e.g., electric and hybrid propulsion systems, wind-assisted propulsion technologies, hull optimization, air lubrication systems etc.) have been made across various aspects of ships. However, a high energy-efficient vessel requires addressing specific challenges despite the significant technological advancements. One of the most critical factors relates to the combination and integration of different solutions and measures that may lead to additional energy savings concerning multiple ship elements such as energy conversion, propulsion, onboard energy consumer demands (e.g., hotel loads for passenger vessels, operation equipment for offshore vessels etc.), higher-efficiency conventional or alternative power systems and others without compromising the ship’s safety and performance.

Adaptability across different ship types and scalability, particularly for large vessels, are further challenges that require meticulous analysis. The shift towards zero emission entails significant investment costs, especially for small and medium-sized shipping companies, and consideration of financial viability is of paramount importance. Lastly, the absence of a concrete standardization framework poses a substantial barrier that must be adequately addressed and overcome.

Proposals are expected to address all the following aspects:

1. Full-scale demonstration offering combined reduction of fuel consumption of at least 55% compared to 2008 levels. Proposals should clearly define the baseline, either in case of retrofits or newbuilds, with respect to the ship’s existing or expected operational profile.
2. Create a methodology estimating energy savings and reduced GHG intensity and emissions of air pollutants from each technology separately and the aggregated savings of combining these technologies in different scenarios.
3. Design optimization to facilitate deployment on different ship types, with a focus on retrofit cases and replication.
4. Capitalise on existing digital solutions for including energy optimization (e.g., smart control, energy management) and for seamless integration of technologies with the ship’s automation and class‑certification processes introducing and explore cyber security aspects of the developed solutions.
5. Projects should consider how high amounts of data transfers for monitoring, optimization, and decision-making may pose risks in terms of data integrity, cybersecurity and propose approaches to address those risks.
6. Assessment of environmental and wider benefits, including reduced emissions of air and water pollutants, and underwater noise, as well as cost-effectiveness of the combined solutions considering life-cycle assessment approaches.
7. Focus on safety and operational aspects addressing any technical and operational challenges that may arise from the combination of energy efficiency solutions.
8. Facilitate effective cooperation and joint training between vessel crews, ports, and shore-side emergency services to promote safety preparedness, coordinated response strategies, and best practices.

Proposals are expected to explain the contribution of their objectives, results, IP management and exploitation strategy to the EU added value creation and strategic autonomy throughout the supply and value chain, including competitiveness of the EU waterborne industry, enhancement of the EU’s R&I capacity, technological know-how capabilities and human capital, and resilience of the EU industrial and manufacturing base. Proposals are encouraged to prioritise shipyards, equipment manufacturers and providers located and/or manufacturing in the EU and EEA.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

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