Zero-emission Energy Observer nears the end of its voyage after seven years

Built as a floating laboratory for renewable energy technologies, the 100-foot Energy Observer has logged 63,040 nautical miles without burning any fossil fuels.

The shipping industry is a major culprit when it comes to releasing carbon emissions into our atmosphere. According to the European Commission, in 2018 global shipping emissions represented 1,076m tonnes of CO₂ and were responsible for around 2.9% of global emissions caused by human activities.

In a bid to reduce the climate change impact of shipping activities, in 2013 French-based Energy Observer set itself a mission to create the first self-sufficient vessel capable of drawing energy only from zero-emission technologies. Four years later in 2017, the Energy Observer catamaran was launched. 

It set sail with an onboard energy mix including hydrogen, solar, wind and water power. The goal was to test and optimise these technologies in hostile and extreme environments as the vessel crisscrossed the oceans.

It is currently in the US and will make stops in Washington, New York and Boston before making its way back to France.

The primary source of energy onboard is solar power, for which Energy Observer partnered with Italian solar panel manufacturer Solbian. The performance of these flexible solar panels, along with the other renewable technologies, has been closely monitored using an energy management system onboard.

“Energy Observer is definitely our most important real-life trial bench. On the boat we were able to test different technologies for a long time, with continuous exposition to the most demanding weather conditions and over a large number of panels,” said Luca Bonci, CEO of Solbian.

Energy from the solar panels is converted into electricity and then stored in a battery system or in the form of hydrogen for long-term storage. In 2022, 330kg of green hydrogen was produced by the vessel. Advanced sails called Oceanwings provide enough thrust to keep the vessel moving.

In the course of the Energy Observer’s current voyage, 40% of the vessel’s energy came from wind, 40% from solar and 20% from hydrogen.

At each stopover, the onboard team of researchers, engineers and sailors have helped raise awareness of the ship’s mission among local communities with an open-access exhibition village. 

Now approaching the final leg of its around-the-world voyage, those involved in its epic journey will share what they have learned through seminars, articles and videos. The hope is that these learnings will help pave the way for a cleaner, greener shipping future. 

But it’s not the end of the story for Energy Observer, as Energy Observer 2 is planned for launch in 2026, with commercial operation following in 2027. Measuring over 400 foot, this multipurpose cargo ship will run on liquid hydrogen.