MONACO, Feb. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — An autonomous green hydrogen pontoon that can fill 30 cylinders and supply eight teams with green hydrogen in preparation for the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (1-6 July 2024). It is the latest initiative taken by the Yacht Club de Monaco, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and under the aegis of the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach. The event was attended by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco alongside with Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development; Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior; Armelle Roudaut-Lafon, Director Maritime Affairs; Olivier Wenden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation; Marco Casiraghi, engineer and instigator of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge; and Francesco Prazzo, General Manager, SBM Offshore. “The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge was launched 11 years ago. It is very satisfying to see how far we have progressed. Even with limited resources it is now possible to produce green hydrogen,” says YCM General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri.
The pontoon also highlights YCM’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy that aims to realise the visions of a Sovereign who believes that “faced with the climate emergency, it is imperative that living proof of progress replaces all the promises”. Moored in the YCM Marina since January, this floating facility producing green hydrogen from renewable energy was installed by SBM Offshore, a partner of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. The goal is once again to supply the eight teams in the Energy Class ahead of the meeting to help reduce the event’s carbon footprint and promote usage of eco-responsible energy resources.
This type of facility has been trialled at previous editions of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge and have undergone numerous improvements. Weighing 1.3 tonnes, this pontoon has a 20m2 surface area of floating solar panels linked to twice as many batteries to produce hydrogen continuously day and night. Cylinder fill-time is now 1 litre/minute. The pontoon also incorporates a remote control system to monitor electrolyser flow, battery charge, the heating and cooling system, as well as sensors, alarms and a dehumidifier. For the 11th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024, teams will have a choice between 9 litre or 13 litre xhydrogen cylinders. Each team is free to estimate its consumption according to its choice of power source with the right to produce energy during a race.
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