The technology group Wärtsilä has inaugurated its new “Hybrid Center,” said to the first of its kind in the world. The facility “represents an innovative concept that will enable further development and deployment of the Wärtsilä HY hybrid power module, while at the same time providing customers with the possibility to experience the benefits of the Wärtsilä HY,” the company said in a press release. It will also be used to train crews and provide hands-on experience for technicians.
The center, located in Trieste, Italy, is the world’s first real-scale hybrid center comprising an engine, batteries, power drives, a propeller load simulator utilizing an electric motor, a power take off/in motor generator, together with the overall energy management system. It will be capable of simulating operational data from the field, which will thus enable optimization of the hybrid system to reach unprecedented levels. The investment will, by providing owners and operators the chance to experience and familiarize themselves with the Wärtsilä HY, “accelerate the introduction of hybrid technologies to the marine market, thereby boosting the environmental sustainability of shipping,” the company said, adding that successful testing has already been carried out on Wärtsilä’s patented electric start-up procedure, utilizing the power from batteries to deliver a smokeless start of the main engine.
The center, located in Trieste, Italy, is the world’s first real-scale hybrid center comprising an engine, batteries, power drives, a propeller load simulator utilizing an electric motor, a power take off/in motor generator, together with the overall energy management system. It will be capable of simulating operational data from the field, which will thus enable optimization of the hybrid system to reach unprecedented levels. The investment will, by providing owners and operators the chance to experience and familiarize themselves with the Wärtsilä HY, “accelerate the introduction of hybrid technologies to the marine market, thereby boosting the environmental sustainability of shipping,” the company said, adding that successful testing has already been carried out on Wärtsilä’s patented electric start-up procedure, utilizing the power from batteries to deliver a smokeless start of the main engine.
