More energy-efficient cruise ships

An EPFL researcher has developed a system based on fuel cells to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption of cruise ships, which are increasingly popular among vacation goers around the world. Spending a few weeks sailing the seas on a luxury liner is an idea that appeals to a growing number of people, particularly in Asian countries. But cruise ships do not just sail from port to port: as veritable floating hotels accommodating several hundred passengers, they use a great deal of energy for heating, electricity, air conditioning and various other aspects of life on board. To make them more environmentally friendly, Francesco Baldi, a researcher in EPFL's Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering Group (IPESE), has come up with a novel solution. Reducing ships' carbon footprint "It's easier to reduce the energy consumption of a merchant ship, because almost all of the energy is used for propulsion, unlike a cruise ship, which has various energy demands," says Baldi. "My work focused on reducing CO₂ emissions, initially by optimizing each of the ship's systems and the design of the boat itself, to improve efficiency." These first efforts produced a potential 6-10% reduction in CO₂ emissions for a diesel-powered cruise ship. Although promising, this was not enough for Baldi, so he considered alternatives to diesel engines.