Ricardo is working to support clients in the maritime sector, developing innovations and exploring new hydrogen activities to help decarbonise the industry.
Ricardo, a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, is expanding its capabilities in the global maritime sector, supporting clients with the design, development, and testing of large-scale propulsion systems, including multi-stack fuel cell technology.
Hydrogen test facility
In January 2021 Ricardo announced that it had opened a brand new £2.5 million hydrogen test facility at its UK headquarters in Shoreham-by-Sea, doubling its capacity to deliver hydrogen testing for global clients.
The company has confirmed that it has invested in the conversion of an existing building on-site to facilitate the development of testing for large-scale marine engines.
Hydrogen and fuel cell services and solutions
Ricardo’s experience and capabilities gained over several years as a market pioneer in hydrogen testing
Clients within the maritime sector will benefit from the new facility, as well as Ricardo’s experience and capabilities gained over several years as a market pioneer in hydrogen testing.
The conversion will deliver state-of-the-art facilities to support Ricardo’s development of hydrogen and fuel cell services and solutions, being delivered to global customers.
Importance of safe implementation
Jason Oms O’Donnell, Managing Director of Automotive and Industrial at Ricardo, said, "Hydrogen offers a real alternative to supporting decarbonisation in several industries, including maritime, commercial vehicles, off-highway and aerospace where the combination of high-value assets, the longevity of fleets and the importance of safe implementation of new technology means that these sectors can be challenging to decarbonise."
He adds, "Our expertise and experience in the design, development, and test of innovative new propulsion systems means that we’re at the forefront of innovation in this area, advising customers, across the whole spectrum of services from life cycle analysis, supply chain, and logistics to turnkey design, development and integration."
Sustainable Hydrogen Powered Shipping project
Jason Oms O’Donnell continues, "Ricardo’s involvement in the Sustainable Hydrogen Powered Shipping (sHYpS) project means we are applying our world-renowned expertise in the hydrogen value chain to implement innovative hydrogen technologies safely to help the global maritime sector achieve long-term decarbonisation goals."
He concludes, "We are pioneering the specification, design, build, and test of a 375kW fuel cell module and the design of a 40-foot containerised multi-MW power plant that combines the outputs of several fuel cell modules. This latest expansion of our capabilities will help us to deliver future projects."