Corvus Energy, a Richmond, British Columbia-based startup company, is racing to become one of the world’s leading providers of hybrid systems for the marine industry. Recently, Corvus signed an exclusive agreement with lithium-ion battery manufacturer Dow Kokam and claims to have patented an energy management system that will allow for the production of battery systems that operate in the multi-megawatt range.
Corvus’ hybrid system could enable large-scale ships like tugboats, ferries and yachts, to shift from being powered solely by diesel fuel to operating mainly from energy supplied from a massive battery pack. Corvus chief executive officer, Brent Perry, describes the business side of selling battery systems required to propel an enormous ship:
Based on the projections we are running, it’s a stupidly large business. One boat is going to have a megawatt of power, which means that you are going to have about 1,200 to 1,500 cells in one boat. So your selling contracts are going to be anywhere from $1.5 million to $5 million.
That makes car batteries downright disposable. Corvus kicked off production of its marine hybrid system back on December 20th. The firm currently has three pilot-scale projects in the works and is awaiting bids from other companies who have shown interest in deploying hybrid ships.
[Source: New Brunswick Business Journal]
