| Howaldtswerke-Deutsche
Werft GmbH (HDW), a company of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, is testing
innovative lithium ion battery cells on board the solar catamaran “PlanetSolar®”. The boat
is financed by the German entrepreneur and solar pioneer Immo Ströher. In close
cooperation with Knierim Yachtbau GmbH, the shipyard that built the catamaran,
and the battery manufacturer GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke GmbH HDW will now enter
the final development phase for a new generation of energy storage systems that
is designed for future use on non-nuclear submarines.
The Chairman of HDW’s
Executive Board, Mr. Walter Freitag, states: “Lithium ion technology is an
enormous step forward for submarine batteries. These cells were developed by
GAIA, with the support of HDW and exclusively for us. In comparison to the lead
acid batteries commonly used so far on board submarines, they feature much
greater capacity and a longer life expectancy. In addition, they are virtually
maintenance-free. Due to the very high demands in the submarine construction
sector and in order to ensure operational safety on board, HDW has developed a
comprehensive safety concept for system integration. The solar catamaran is the
prototype for first operation of the lithium ion technology on board a manned
vessel.”
HDW has an advisory
role during integration of the currently largest lithium ion battery in the
world on board “PlanetSolar®” and is supporting
Knierim with technical know-how. This particularly applies to the safety
aspects of operating lithium ion technology on board.
Thanks to the successful cooperation with Knierim and GAIA in this
project, HDW has been able to further extend its position as world-wide leaders
in the field of submarine propulsion technology, a position that was
established with the development of air-independent propulsion on the basis of
the fuel cell plant.
 Press release PLANET SOLAR german (MS Word-Format)
Press release PLANET SOLAR english (MS Word-Format)
Bilder:
Image 1 More power, less maintenance: A step towards new dimensions is the joint development of Lithium-Ion batteries between HDW and GAIA (Photo: HDW)
Image 2 The unveilance ceremony at HDW premises on Feb. 25 was attended by approximately 260 guests. (Photo published with permission of PlanetSolar)
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