Commercial, GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables - August 27, 2019
Carnival sails towards emission-neutral operations
Carnival Corp., operator of Carnival Cruise Lines, is looking to operate emission-neutral ships throughout its operation. Carnival signed an agreement with Corvus Energy for the installation and operation of lithium-ion battery storage systems in its AIDA Cruises brand beginning next year and then expand the initiative to its Costa Cruises. The goal is to allow for the practical use of electrical energy from battery storage systems onboard large cruise ships.
AIDA's pilot electrification program will test the system's use of stored battery power for an extended period and to meet onboard energy needs. The goal is to help Carnival move closer to “green cruising” goal, according to a statement from the company.
"Our goal is to reach emission-neutral ship operation. The electrification of our ships is another important step on this path,” said Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia. “Thanks to the cooperation with Corvus Energy, in just a few months AIDA Cruises will for the first time launch this innovative technology on a large cruise ship."
Last December, AIDA Cruises introduced the first cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Carnival Corporation has another 10 next-generation "green" cruise ships on order, including a new LNG-powered ship for the Costa Cruises fleet in October.
Advanced Air Quality Systems (exhaust gas cleaning systems, or "scrubbers"), are now installed on 77 of Carnival 100+ fleet of ships
Other AIDA green initiatives include:
- The ability to connect directly into land-based electrical grids while in port, called “cold ironing.”. By yearend 2020, 12 of AIDA’s 14 ships will be able to cold-iron.
- Exploring the use of carbon-dioxide-free production of liquefied gas from renewable sources through its "Power to Gas" project.
- Planning to test its first onboard fuel cell in 2021 in cooperation with the Meyer Werft shipyard and other partners.
By the end of 2023, 94% of all AIDA guests will travel on ships that can be fully powered by low-emission LNG or shore power where possible.
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