Shipping on Swedish Energy Agency's agenda

Calls of 45 million SEK for energy efficiency in the transport sector and the conversion to non-fossil fuel are two main issues in the Swedish Energy Agency's agenda right now. At Lighthouse we continue our work to ensure that shipping and the maritime sector should be a natural part of the Agency's work.

At the beginning of this year, Lighthouse had a meeting with the Swedish Energy Agency and talked, amongst other things, about maritime challenges in the short and long term. Lighthouse hope is that the Energy Agency will launch maritime oriented calls and programs in the future.

Last week, Lighthouse once again met with the Swedish Energy Agency and this time we brought with us additional representatives from the maritime sector, including Alfa Laval, Rolls Royce, TTS Marine, in addition to Stena, Wallenius and The Swedish Shipowners´ Association.

Åsa Burman, director of Lighthouse, what has happened since the last meeting in February?
- The Swedish Energy Agency has continued their work since our last meeting and identified issues they believe are important to develop. There is a number of areas linked to energy efficiency, and also the need to adapt ships and the sea transport systems to renewable fuels and electric power.

R&D efforts specifically related to shipping

Energy efficient maritime transport:

• Create conditions for intermodality, City- and port logistics, public transportation (drivers, business models, regulatory frameworks, instruments)
• Reduced resistance (e.g. hull shape, fouling, propellers, lightweight, optimized trimming and minimized ballast)
• Optimization of internal energy usage (cooling / heating, system modelling)
• Driving forces for change in individuals and organizations for increased energy efficiency
• Complementary use of wind assistance and solar power
• Improved route planning, taking into account the wind and current, the vessel conditions, and optimally scheduled arrival

The conversion of vehicles to renewable fuels

• Adaptation of ships and maritime transport systems to renewable fuels
• Adaptation of ships and maritime systems for electric drive

What will happen next?
In the short term, we from Lighthouse will give input to the Agency's Open Forum for input to the strategy for fossil-fuel independent transport sector in 2030. We also urge others in the maritime sector to do this.

We will also, together with all interested stakeholders in the maritime sector, work to ensure that a large number of relevant and qualified applications regarding energy efficiency will be submitted to the Agency's recently opened call for energy efficiency in the transport sector that closes 9 September.

In the long term, we hope that the Swedish Energy Agency will include the maritime sector and shipping as transport in all relevant new programs, but also the ongoing programmes. And that we through applications with qualified content and participation from the industry will verify the need for increased funding for research and innovation in the maritime sector.

What can the maritime sector offer the Swedish Energy Agency?
-In the maritime sector in Sweden there's Swedish-owned shipping companies who already are investing in environmentally friendly and energy efficient solutions that can contribute to the transformation of the transport sector. There are also a large number of large and small marine engineering companies in the forefront, and they have and want to continue to develop solutions for efficient and cleaner shipping, Åsa Burman says