Coordinated Operation of a Green Multi-Energy Ship Microgrid with Hydrogen and Seawater Desalination

Increasing attention has been paid to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and energy efficiency improvement in the maritime industry. Thus, this study focuses on the coordinated operation of a novel hybrid AC/DC multi-energy ship microgrid (MESM) considering green hydrogen in demand and generation sides. Specifically, onboard hydrogen loads are included, and hydrogen fuel cells (FCs) power the MESM with zero carbon emissions. As for coordinated operation, the flexible voyage scheduling and energy management are fully modeled in the MESM operation. Further, since freshwater is necessary for onboard customers, models for seawater desalination units (SDU) are formulated, whose flexibility is integrated into the holistic MESM operation. Finally, case studies based on a real voyage in the Nordic countries are conducted. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of the coordinated MESM operation scheme with hydrogen and seawater desalination on the cost reduction.