Electrical design for efficiency: technical and operational measures for optimizing the use of electrical power on ships

Abstract

There is currently a growing concern in the shipping industry about energy consumption and environmental impacts. According to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) energy efficiency guidelines, today's ships must have an energy efficiency management plan to reduce the CO2 emission and other pollutants. In this article, a bibliographic review of methodologies for the optimization of energy consumption on ships is carried out, starting from the identification of sources of energy losses, to the implementation of technical and operational measures that contribute to their improvement, making a qualitative evaluation of the identified methodologies. Sources of energy losses associated with equipment and auxiliary systems are analyzed, as well as opportunities for improvement in the use of electrical energy through the implementation of intelligent energy management systems, high efficiency motors, and lighting. The technical and operational energy efficiency measures described above demonstrate the importance of their implementation from the early stages of the ship's electrical design, as well as monitoring energy consumption during its life cycle, to improve energy efficiency on board.