Donation to research on hydrogen for shipping

“Shipping is still in the early stages of its transition to a fossil-free industry. Hydrogen has promising potential as a fossil-free fuel for parts of the shipping industry, in particular ferry services. Our group has been working for three years now on research issues related to the use of hydrogen and has found, among other things, that a major challenge lies in being able to refuel large amounts of hydrogen in a short time,” explains project manager Björn Samuelsson, Lecturer at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering.

The donation will allow the group to be expanded by one person who will focus on refuelling issues for two years.

“The majority of our hydrogen research projects are focused on issues surrounding production and basic materials. This is why we’re particularly excited about projects that assess the entire chain, right up to utilisation, including techno-economic analyses,” says Charlotte Platzer Björkman, Vice-Rector of the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology.

Concept and system need to be developed

At present, there are no large hydrogen-powered ferries anywhere in the world, which means a whole concept and system need to be developed. The research is being done in close collaboration with Gotland Company, which is planning to switch its fleet of ships to hydrogen.

“The energy transition is crucial for the climate, which is why this is a very important research project for us. Uppsala University and Gotland Company share the belief that research on local societal challenges plays an important role both locally and internationally. The knowledge developed through the project will also further strengthen our internationally recognised programmes,” notes Jenny Helin, Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor on Uppsala University Campus Gotland.

Linda Koffmar