“Sustainable superyacht” sounds pretty much like an oxymoron. Whatever designed for excesses collides with environmental protection. Yet these recent years have witnessed a sharp rise of innovation in the world of superyachts, in terms of innovation and technology, along with a growing demand. Rolls Royce Power Systems is focusing on this particular kind of alcohol as a fuel for commercial sailing, though adapted to MTU engines for lesser environmental impact. A rapid conversion of four-stroke engines to be used on yachts and commercial ships is scheduled in the short term. Chinese Geely Holding Group have developed a way to capture CO2 from industrial activities and turn it into precious resources, renewable and zero-emissions. As early as 2015, Geely invested in Icelandic Carbon Recycling International (CRI), running the first plant in the world to produce clean methanol at zero carbon emissions. In Omar Sigurbjornsson’s view, CRI marketing director, a methanol powered vehicle emits 70% less CO2 than a normal fossil fuel vehicle: only 46 g/km. Compared with Diesel or gas engines, methanol burns more cleanly and with no sulphide emissions. Despite methanol being cleaner than fossil fuels, it cannot yet be brought to zero emissions. Current production derives from reforming coal or natural gas, which generates significant amount of greenhouse gases. However, methanol powered engines produce vir tually no emission of subtle powders, an even greater advantage when yachts and ships are moored in a por t. In addition, a study from Cambridgeuniversity revealed that methanol can possibly replace hydrogen in fuel cell. The cell’s better efficiency, compared with thermic engines, largely compensates for methanol’s lighter density compared to gasoline’s. What’s more, a liquid fuel, like methanol, is safer and easier to store and transport than hydrogen. A cleaner future is therefore expected. How to conver t 5000 existing superyachts and hundred thousand smaller boats remains a problem, as they cannot undergo scrapping. But this is a different story to deal with.
