Humanity had to wait until 1965 before someone at Siemens thought of using a hydrogen fuel cell to drive a boat round a pond in Bavaria. We'd known of its potential since Sir William Grove built a “gas battery” in 1842, but the technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the past two decades. Now the brightest minds in boatbuilding believe it may hold the key to silent, carbon-free power and guilt-free yachting.
Shipping may produce only three per cent of global emissions, with superyachts a vanishingly small sliver of that, but for some that is not the point. “Safeguarding the sea is essential, as a common good of inestimable value; a collective obligation that directly affects our industry,” says Massimo Perotti, executive chairman of Sanlorenzo. “Building today the sustainable boats that will ply the seas of tomorrow means being a spokesperson for an environmental and moral revolution.”
It is a view echoed by the owner of the 50 Steel yacht that Sanlorenzo is currently building with a fuel cell. “Adopting cutting-edge green technology such as hydrogen fuel cells undoubtedly brings practical advantages,” he says. “But it is primarily a choice rooted in a world view and a particular commitment to sustainability. It also reflects a personal spirit of experimentation and innovation.
“Currently, all components are prototypes and therefore expensive, but if, as hoped, a broader adoption of this new system takes off, economies of scale and the amortisation of design expenses will gradually lower the costs. The same applies to green fuel: today it is still quite expensive, but it is clear that the price will decrease as market demand increases in the coming years.”
If the
