Glas Ocean Electric (GOE), based in Halifax, Canada, has installed a hybrid gas/electric-powered drive system into a lobster boat to show that the concept can work for lobstermen. Sea Cucumber was the first vessel converted to hybrid power by GOE. The boat is trailerable so it can be towed to various east coast destinations to demonstrate the technology’s capabilities.
GOE developed an analytic software called, PerforMarine, which monitors vessel performance to assess if hybrid power is compatible with the vessel. The hybrid powertrain on Sea Cucumber is mostly visible above deck in see-through housing. These main components control “the power, the cooling, and monitor the temperature of the battery among other functions,” said Molloy.
Sea Cucumber is equipped with a single 44-horsepower Sole mini diesel engine, which runs in tandem with the 98kWh Akasol battery-powered electric motor. The engine can be shut down, allowing the boat to run on electric power for six hours.
According to GOE engineer Brad Purdy, the entire system is water-cooled. While Sea Cucumber does not have hydraulics, Purdy confirms that the system is designed to run hydraulics. “For a boat that wants to run steering and a hauler, or what have you, in the power electronics there is a power output that can run a 30kW AC motor for your hydraulic pump. That’s more than enough to run a typical hauler,” said Purdy.
Since installing the powertrain on Sea Cucumber, GOE has also installed the system on an active lobster boat. The Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund, launched by the Nova Scotia government, will supply $4.7 million USD to fishermen hoping to install the hybrid systems.
GOE has been gathering data for over two decades, and the team is confident that the power systems will result in a 50 to 70 percent fuel reduction for the average lobster boat in Nova Scotia. Green house gas emissions will also be reduced as a result, aligning with many Canadian government goals.
