Zero-emission Energy Observer Vessel Taps Rockwell Automation Technology to Travel the World

The world’s first hydrogen-powered ship is on a six-year, zero-emission global voyage thanks in part to Rockwell Automation’s advanced automation technology.

First developed in 2017, the Energy Observer travels the world as a “lab in motion” using a combination of intermittent renewable energy sources including solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and hydrogen production to achieve energy autonomy.

Rockwell technology helps the Energy Observer team monitor, control and optimize the distribution of energy sources and make smart decisions about when and how to switch from one energy source to another. It also records the vessel’s operational data throughout its journey and communicates it back to the rest of the team on shore.

Today, the Energy Observer is on the second half of its six-year odyssey to visit 50 countries and stop at 101 ports of call, sharing what some see as a potential energy system of the future. While the COVID-19 pandemic has modified current travel plans, you can see where the ship is located in real-time through this interactive voyage log book.

To help share their message, the Energy Observer team created this video update to show how they monitor, control, and optimize energy sources on board and on shore; plus, it offers a glimpse at their efforts to promote a vision of a holistic, global, clean-energy future.