A startup in the UK wants to build a fleet of state-of-the-art sailing ships that will help generate green energy at sea.
UK-based startup Drift Energy plans to use deep-sea winds to produce green hydrogen in the ocean and announced the completion of its seed funding round on Sunday.
In the seed funding round, Drift Energy managed to raise $6.02 million (£4.65 million) led by Octopus Ventures.
Green hydrogen, produced by electrolysis using renewable energy, has a much lower carbon footprint than hydrogen fuel produced by steam reforming methane from natural gas.
There is high global demand for carbon due to the important role it can play in accelerating the decarbonisation of sectors such as heavy industry, transport and manufacturing.
Drift Energy aims to deploy a fleet of powerful sailing vessels that can harness ocean winds to produce green hydrogen and deliver it around the globe.
The startup also recently received funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, as part of the Investor Partnership Program. The program is designed to encourage investment in high-growth, innovative UK companies working on cutting-edge technologies.
According to a press release from Drift Energy, the money raised in the seed funding round will enable the company to “strengthen the Company’s vessel construction program, support team growth and enable the onboarding of new partners as the Company plans its first keel laying in 2025.”
The technology used by Drift Energy
Drift Energy will use modern, high-tech sailing vessels to circumnavigate the world’s trade winds, attempting to generate energy using underwater turbines.
The energy generated in this way will be used to operate an electrolyzer on board, which the company says can “produce and store gigawatt hours of green hydrogen”.
For distribution, the ships rely on routing algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that the yachts arrive in port in optimal weather conditions.
The company says it has developed a unique ship routing algorithm that helps the yacht or ship find and stay in the best possible weather conditions, and allows them to return to port exactly when their hydrogen tank is full. The payload is stowed in standard 40-foot containers.
The company also states that its ships are capable of directly bunkering other ships in port or at anchor. In addition, the company plans to equip future ships with the ability to refuel at sea to reduce production time.
AI increases performance
A case study presented by the company shows that a vessel it built was able to reach 28.8 miles per hour (25 knots). As the boat gains speed, an underwater propeller drives a turbine that generates electricity. This electricity is then used to extract hydrogen from water.
The AI system used boat design, weather conditions and their combined impact on hydrogen production to plan a route that would reduce the time a ship with a full hydrogen tank would have to spend at sea.
This was achieved by creating a digital twin and running simulations with it.
“In late July 2022, during its first test off the coast of Brightlingsea, Essex, DRIFT’s boat became the first in the world to produce and store hydrogen at sea. The boat produced six litres of green hydrogen in a two-hour test run, far exceeding the results predicted in the simulation,” the case study said.
Drift Energy now wants to continue sea trials and experiment with larger boats with more production and storage capacity.
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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Abhishek Bhardwaj Abhishek brings a wealth of experience in reporting on diverse topics across multiple domains. He has worked for reputed news agencies and Indian media outlets like ANI and NDTV and has particular interest in covering technology, business and defence.
