Techno-economic modeling of zero-emission marine transport with hydrogen fuel and superconducting propulsion system: Case study of a passenger ferry

This paper proposes a techno-economic model for a high-speed hydrogen ferry. The model can describe the system properties i.e. energy demand, weight, and daily operating expenses of the ferry. A novel aspect is the consideration of superconductivity as a measure for cost saving in the setting where liquid hydrogen (LH₂) can be both coolant and fuel. We survey different scenarios for a high-speed ferry that could carry 300 passengers. The results show that, despite higher energy demand, compressed hydrogen gas is more economical compared with LH₂ for now; however, constructing large-scale hydrogen liquefaction plants make it competitive in the future. Moreover, compressed hydrogen gas is restricted to a shorter distance while LH₂ makes longer distances possible, and whenever LH₂ is accessible, using a superconducting propulsion system has a beneficial impact on both energy and cost savings. These effects strengthen if the operational time or the weight of the ferry increases.