Hydrogen for Gotland traffic – from vision to reality
Back in 2009, Gotlandsbolaget developed the first vision ship that could be powered by hydrogen. A very first sketch was on the drawing board, but many parts of the technology were still missing. Since then, development has progressed rapidly in several key areas and 12 years later, there are now detailed plans to develop and build Sweden's first hydrogen-powered passenger and cargo ship - the Gotland Horizon.
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The goals of Gotlandsbolaget are to create a fossil-free crossing between Gotland and the mainland, while maintaining the same level of service and speed as today. This places great demands on innovation and new technology. In 2021, the Gotland Horizon was launched, which has the capacity to run on 100 percent hydrogen. Right now, the project is underway to further develop the design and concept to fulfill the ambition of a fossil-free Gotland journey as soon as possible.
– Gotland Horizon is Sweden’s first project to create a large-scale ship powered by hydrogen for both goods and passengers. With Gotland Horizon, we are opening up for a completely new technology, which with gas turbines in combination with steam turbines makes it possible to maintain the same speed as today in an energy-efficient way, but completely without emissions.
We don’t think you should have to compromise between climate and service, says Håkan Johansson, CEO of Gotlandsbolaget.
AsCO2 is priced and new requirements and regulations are put in place, it becomes increasingly expensive to run on fossil fuels. A fossil-free operation is therefore the only option for the Gotland service going forward, both from an environmentally and economically sustainable point of view. The early transition work has also laid the foundation for the climate work that Destination Gotland has today.
Since 2019 and 2020, two gas vessels have been in service, powered by both liquefied natural gas and biogas, which is a completely renewable fuel. These ships are important steps on the road to lowerCO2 emissions, but not the only solution for a climate-neutral ferry service. The next generation of vessels will be developed with world-leading technology, and built as soon as we can definitively verify that the necessary technology is fully developed and tested.
The aim is to place an order to have a Gotland Horizon model in service by 2030.
– The ship is designed with a so-called multi-fuel function that makes it possible to run on different fossil-free fuels – including fossil-free hydrogen. We are closely following developments on the fuel side and can, with a relatively simple adaptation of the turbines, change fuel from hydrogen to both gas and liquid fuel. In the chimney there is a steam turbine that will utilize the residual energy, i.e. the energy that arises during combustion to power the operations on board with electricity. By using a gas turbine in combination with a steam turbine, we optimize energy consumption, says Håkan Johansson.
Hydrogen is an important key component in many industries that are transitioning from fossil fuels to fossil-free, and shipping will be one of them. Gotlandsbolaget and its subsidiary Gotland Tech Development, together with several industry players and Uppsala University, have entered into a partnership to develop and secure access to hydrogen for transport.
– Sweden needs to continue to develop access to hydrogen as a fuel. We see enormous potential in fossil-free hydrogen for shipping and for Gotland traffic, says Håkan Johansson. In addition to collaborations on ensuring access to fossil-free hydrogen and the propulsion of the ship, work is underway in parallel to develop future on-board experiences to create a safe and pleasant crossing.