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Solar solutions for a sustainable maritime sector

Published in: Solar, Exclusive Articles, PES Spotlight

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As one of the world’s most challenging sectors to abate, shipping must transform the way it powers its fleets if it is to meet international climate goals. Joep Groot, COO at MarineSolar Energy Solutions1, explains how solar technology can help.

Over the past decade, maritime stakeholders have made significant strides in improving vessel efficiency, from optimising hull design to refining engine performance and adopting energy-saving technologies. However, despite these gains, overall emissions have continued to rise. A growing global fleet and increasing trade volumes have outpaced the benefits of efficiency alone, which means that the industry needs to consider a different approach.

This is increasingly reflected in the regulatory landscape. The EU has taken a leading role by introducing measures such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which places a price on carbon emissions from shipping, and FuelEU Maritime, which sets limits on the carbon intensity of the energy used onboard vessels. Together, these policies are designed to accelerate the sector’s transition beyond incremental efficiency gains toward lower carbon energy solutions.

Other governments, including the UK, as well as international bodies such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), are moving in a similar direction, developing their own proposals and frameworks as part of the wider push toward achieving net-zero emissions in maritime by 2050.

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