The Innovations

Our catamaran left the Bahamas on 15th July to set sail for Martinique, where she arrived on 28th July. A navigation of more than 1,500 miles carried out in one go with difficult weather conditions.

While the crew of Energy Observer continues to navigate the Atlantic without being able to set foot on land, another team is holding its breath: that of Energy Observer Developments (EODev), whose REXH2 is currently sailing on the first hydrogen vessel around the world.

The first hydrogen vessel around the world has just started its winter technical stopover after 7 months of expedition to Northern Europe.

Energy Observer takes care of the details. The experimental catamaran optimizes all its systems to improve its performance as well as the crew’s comfort. Explanations by Roland Reynaud, the on-board engineer.

This is the brain of the vessel’s energy supply. Combining multiple intermittent renewable energy sources and storage is one thing. Optimising their use to propel the boat and ensure the crew’s comfort is another! This is where the Energy Management System (EMS) comes in.

Energy Observer is propelled by two electric motors, each with 42kW, providing a total of 115 horsepower. The motors, designed by Phase Automation, have very high output (97%), which also contributes to reducing the boat’s energy requirements.

To avoid losing the energy dissipated as heat, the Energy Observer engineers installed a recovery system for the heating and hot water used in the living quarters nacelle.

Energy Observer chose complementary storage systems: short-term storage in a set of Li-Ion batteries, and eight hydrogen tanks for long-term storage.

Hydrogen has a very high energy content: for the same weight, it contains up to three times more energy than diesel, and 2.5 times more than natural gas. That said, we know how to store natural gas in tanks or pipelines. Storing hydrogen is more difficult.

Currently, 95% of the world’s hydrogen supply is from fossil fuel, through a reforming process using methane, the main component of natural gas. Electrolysis using a renewable energy source is a solution for the future use of green hydrogen on a large scale.

The Energy Observer is equipped with a reverse-osmosis desalination system with several levels. When two volumes of water – one salty and the other not – are put together, natural movement is created: the fresh water is attracted to the salty water.

The 18th of April was an expected and important day for Energy Observer, which has equipped itself with a new technological brick for wind propulsion: two Oceanwings®, rotating, self-supporting and 100% automated, which will increase the vessel’s speed and produce hydrogen during navigation by sea water electrolysis.