The 5th and 6th October ForMare had the chance to attend the two-day event organized in the frame of the Horizon Europe Project AENEAS, hosted in Valencia by Fundaciòn Valencia Port.
The AENEAS Project arises from the need of the maritime sector, and the waterborne transport sector, to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by substituting conventional fuels for green and sustainable energy sources. The maritime transport is one of the most important modes of transport, carrying out 80% of world trading activities, thus playing a key role in global economy. In this sense, greening the maritime transport sector will realize higher emissions savings.
The project aims to provide solutions for enhancing the overall energy efficiency and significantly reducing energy consumption in waterborne transport vessels. These solutions rely on innovative electric energy storage methods that are safe and cost-competitive compared to traditional batteries. To accomplish this, AENEAS is developing three electrical Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) for waterborne transport, which go beyond conventional battery systems:
1. Solid-state batteries (SSB) designed for constant load waterborne transport applications.
2. Supercapacitors (SC) tailored for waterborne transport applications to manage power peak demands and peaks during loading.
3. A hybrid system that combines SSB and SC for waterborne transport applications requiring high energy and power density energy storage solutions.
The first day was dedicated to the General Assembly where AENEAS partners presented the progress for each work package and shared the results achieved so far, while aligning their next steps and generating innovative ideas for a sustainable waterborne transport.
In this context, ForMare mainly supports the project through activities of stakeholders engagement and events organization and will support the future deployment of technologies by exploring market segment and geographical expansion of AENEAS solutions to diverse waterborne applications.
During the second day of event, it took place the First Stakeholder Workshop which represented a pivotal moment to discuss concretely on innovative and sustainable solutions for waterborne transport, alongside discussions on the challenges and intended project outcomes. The workshop was a great opportunity for AENEAS Consortium to present the latest developments and results achieved at the presence of key external stakeholders operating in the maritime sector.
The AENEAS Consortium is a powerhouse of expertise, featuring leaders in energy storage, power systems, and industry implementation. Partners such as FLANDERS MAKE, ABEE, CEA, SIEMENS, and I2M are driving innovation, while GRIMALDI, INLAND SHIPPING, FREIRE SHIPYARD, and SOERMAR are diligently working to test these technologies. VAASAN YLIOPISTO, ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS, ISSNOVA, FORMARE, and FUNDACION VALENCIA PORT are contributing with their research and stakeholders engagement prowess to ensure success.