Welcome efficiency. Welcome electric.
Maritime transport emits more than 900 million tons of CO2 annually and is responsible for approximately 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Electrification is the way forward for short sea and inland shipping in harbors, rivers, and fjords. In transitioning vessels from diesel to pure electric power, the future holds great potential to operate shorter routes by electric ferries: in Europe alone, around 900 ferries operate on shorter routes – all with a potential to be electrified for zero-emission transport.
It's time to electrify marine
To meet the changing demands from regulators, customers, and operators on how we power the vessels of tomorrow, the marine industry requires a new level of flexibility. At the same time, it's vital that we don't compromise the speed and efficiency of today's solutions. This means looking towards electrification of vessels on the path towards a sustainable future.
Our ambition is to help you achieve your marine electrification goals. Because together we can create a sustainable future powered by electricity. We want to make that transformation seamless and economical, by allowing you to embrace electrification at scale without compromise. That way you can run fully optimized applications that you can always rely on. To achieve this, we also need to integrate renewables and clean energy into tomorrow's smart energy systems powering marine vessels.
Our approach
At Danfoss Drives, we provide flexible power converters and drives with high power density to run all hybridized and electrified applications. We are a leading component provider across various marine applications. And with an independent and original approach to systems, we enable you to design the best system possible with low complexity. From hybridization to shaft generators and shore supply, we tailor the solution to your specific needs, so you get a plug-and-play system with maximum performance and reliability.
Many vessel types from small shuttle ferries to huge aircraft carriers benefit from converting to fully electric or hybrid technology for cleaner, more efficient performance. The benefits are clear business drivers:
- Improved vessel performance
- Reduced emissions
- Lower operating costs due to lower fuel consumption
- Lower maintenance costs
- Reduced noise levels
- Improved long-term efficiency of the power supply system
Acting as partners
Danfoss provides key components and system design to optimize the functionality of electric vessels, typically short sea or inland waterway vessels. Drives and power converters from Danfoss control the flow of energy between batteries, motors, chargers and power in the cabin. Electric motors ensure that propulsion is silent and efficient, and they are also powered by Danfoss drives. Charging from onshore is controlled by a Danfoss grid converter, and a DC/DC converter manages the batteries. Even the crane hydraulics are run by a drive, so they can be powered by the batteries.
Apart from the high-performance drives, there’s another reason to choose Danfoss: we freely share our knowledge and act as partners.
Full design freedom to say:
Goodbye CO2. Hello zero emissions.
How do we put our design approach to work? We give the customer full design freedom then share our knowledge and work flexibly to engineer a solution to fit their needs exactly. A good example is the Astrid Helene workboat. This is one of the world’s first fully electric workboats, designed and built by Grovfjord Mekanske Verksted, Norway. With no engine noise, no diesel fumes, zero emission, and exceptional maneuverability, it reduces emissions on site at the Northern Lights salmon farm by approximately 90 tonnes CO2 annually – the average emissions of a diesel-powered fish farm workboat.
Read the full story or take a scroll through the digital story.
Watch the video and learn more about world’s first fully electric workboat
Contact our experts
Are you ready to accelerate your electrification journey? Our marine expert, Martti Alatalo, is ready to get in touch with you and have an informal discussion.
Cases
Products
Learn more about our product offering
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Enables system integrators, machine builders and OEMs to design and build efficient industrial drives systems. Active Front-end (NXA), Non-regenerative Front-end (NXN), Brake Chopper (NXB) and Inverter (NXI) configurations are available.
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VACON® NXP DCGuard™ delivers reliable short-circuit protection of DC grids for full selectivity between DC grids, and ensures fast disconnection in the event of a fault.
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Maximizes the energy yield in hybrid solutions and helps improve performance by bringing energy support close to the consumption.
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Air- and liquid-cooled drives specifically designed for smart grid, energy storage, green hydrogen, power conversion and marine energy management applications.
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Well-suited to applications where air quality is critical, space is limited and efficient heat transfer is required. Active Front-end (NXA), Non-regenerative Front-end (NXN), Brake Chopper (NXB) and Inverter (NXI) configurations are available.
Learn more
Meeting the challenges
In marine electrification, we are constantly overcoming new challenges to optimize performance and efficiency. Our maritime engineers are at the forefront of DC grid implementation, and know how to extract the extra energy saving benefits of combining DC grid, energy storage and/or variable speed generators. And the challenges? We engineer solutions to them. For instance, we have figured out how to provide the more sophisticated protection specially required for DC grids.
Power conversion beyond EV charging - Navigating the zero-emission voyage
As well as fast vessel charging, Danfoss Drives supports decarbonization of the marine industry in diverse applications including shore supply and hybridization, using the benefits of peak shaving and time delay to use energy in the most competitive way possible. Throughout Danfoss Group, we also offer a broad range of energy efficiency technologies to support you in meeting climate targets.
Stay up to date with Danfoss Drives
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In 2024, the Danish short-sea ferry operator Molslinjen will introduce two 100% electric ferries powered by Danfoss drives and power converters. The vessels are prepared for autonomous sailing between ports, with automatic docking and charging at quay.
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The HySynergy project in Fredericia, Denmark, has successfully produced hydrogen for the first time, which is a significant milestone in the commercialization of green hydrogen as a clean energy source.
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Soren Kvorning, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Service in Danfoss Drives, will leave Danfoss to take the next step in his career as CEO of ENABL A/S.
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