The HARPOONERS consortium and the high-voltage battery systems for shipping
HARPOONERS stands for High voltAge, modulaR and low weight electric POwertrains fOr NExt generation waterborne tRanSport. It is a European research project, developing a new generation of high-voltage battery electric storage systems for maritime and inland waterway vessels.
The electrification of ships requires innovative solutions to make emission-free propulsion systems economical, safe and efficient. This is precisely where the European research project HARPOONERS (High voltAge, modulaR and low weight electric POwertrains fOr NExt generation waterborne tRanSport) comes in, developing a new generation of high-voltage battery electric storage systems for maritime and inland waterway vessels.
HARPOONERS aims to develop a modular and flexible alternating current battery system that integrates battery units directly with the power electronics and the on-board networks (high and medium voltage). This architecture eliminates the need for a transformer and enables the battery modules and power electronics to be cooled together. This makes the overall system lighter and more compact, increasing the energy density.
Another key feature is flexibility in battery cell selection: the system can operate with both existing and newly developed cell technologies, regardless of their chemical composition. HARPOONERS focuses on practical applications with storage capacities between 5 and 10 MWh in fully electric or hybrid propulsion systems. These are extensively simulated and optimized to ensure maximum efficiency and safety.
In addition, the project integrates real-time monitoring using a distributed battery management system (BMS) at the battery level and an energy management system (EMS) at the system level. A digital twin links these control systems to edge cloud interfaces for predictive analysis.
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is a central partner in the HARPOONERS consortium, which includes 13 partners from four EU countries (Spain, Belgium, Austria, Italy) and three associated countries (Norway, Great Britain, Turkey).
Dragan Simic, HARPOONERS project manager at AIT, emphasizes the importance of the project: “Decarbonization of the European maritime transport sector requires innovations that balance cost-effectiveness, regulatory requirements, the interface with growing shore-side power grids and economies of scale of electrification. The main challenge lies in the compactness of the battery systems while ensuring reliability and safety, especially for retrofits.”
