Maximising green energy generation with the power of smart routing
DRIFT
DRIFT Energy’s hydrogen-generating vessels are set to revolutionise the field of renewable energy. We helped make the concept a reality with a routing algorithm that successfully navigates the boat through the most favourable weather conditions, whilst keeping it safe.
Load factor of DRIFT’s energy generating vessels, with the potential to improve
As effective at producing green energy as offshore wind
Of its kind in mobile renewable energy production
The Challenge
Renewable energy usually exists at the whims of the weather.
This drastically limits the efficiency (or load factor, the average amount of energy produced as a proportion of the maximum potential capacity) of most wind and solar power solutions. What if a wind-powered energy source could follow the wind, instead of waiting around?
DRIFT has ambitions to find out. They designed the world’s first energy generating foiling boat, producing and storing green hydrogen just by sailing. This new ground-breaking renewable asset class can scale across more of the globe than traditional offshore technologies, with less infrastructure and less time to commission.
There was just one crucial thing missing – an algorithm that helps the boat find the most efficient course and hunt down the best weather conditions for maximum hydrogen generation, in real time.
The Solution
One boat. Three best-in-class technologies.
The best in sailing. A race-winning foiling boat design.
Light, fast, and agile, DRIFT’s 18-foot test boat is capable of reaching 25 knots (46.3 km/h) at full tilt. Since the build of the test boat in 2022, DRIFT has been working on a much bigger prototype for operational use that is 60 meters long and able to store 2 tons of hydrogen.
The newest tech for producing green hydrogen.
As the boat picks up speed, an underwater propeller will drive a turbine and generate electricity. The electricity can extract hydrogen from water and will be stored on the boat.
A best-in-class algorithm to plot the boat’s course.
Combining expert sailing knowledge, green hydrogen generation, and AI. Our routing algorithm, tailored to DRIFT, takes into account all the different factors that affect the movement of the vessel to find and stay in the most optimum weather conditions. The algorithm has been designed and tuned using a virtual environment that simulates historic weather conditions, allowing the impact of different operating policies and boat design decisions to be understood.
“The routing algorithm isn’t just crucial for the operation of the vessels, it’s also an important part of the vessel design process, enabling DRIFT’s engineers to virtually test the energy generating performance of different vessel configurations in different conditions.”
Laurence Cowton, Head of Technology
Faculty
The Algorithm
The algorithm assesses millions of potential routes over the course of a single journey, continually optimising the route using the latest weather forecasts.
Our development team dug deep into the science of sailing to understand all the factors that affect the movement of the vessel. The algorithm currently uses historic actual and forecast data to test how DRIFT’s vessels would perform at sea under various weather conditions to help the boat generate the most power in the shortest time, while keeping the boat and its crew safe. The key is finding a route that avoids dangerous weather conditions and steers clear of lulls. Finding the optimum route doesn’t just mean trying to sail where the wind is strongest. It also means minimising the “wasted” time when the boat is at sea with a full tank of hydrogen. Instead of just chasing the wind, the algorithm plots a route that will have the boat returning to port at the precise moment its hydrogen tank fills up.
“I’m very impressed, there are no ‘holes’ and the algorithm is doing everything we are asking it to do. It’s really exciting to see how far we’ve come. We are building something truly cutting edge.”
Miles Seddon, a leading expert in sailing systems and a navigator on winning racing teams
External Advisor on the project
Conclusion
A green hydrogen revolution
A green hydrogen revolution
At the end of July 2022, during the first trial off the coast of Brightlingsea, Essex, DRIFT’s test boat became the first in the world to produce and store hydrogen at sea. The boat produced six litres of green hydrogen in one two-hour test run, far exceeding results predicted during simulation. In fact, our studies show that a flotilla of DRIFT’s energy boats sailing out from Penzance could potentially achieve a load factor of up to 70%. This is a major improvement over the performance of other forms of renewable energy. Most UK offshore wind farms, on average, generate just below 40% of their potential in capacity, solar around 10%, and wave and tidal only 2.8%, due to fluctuating weather conditions.
Revamped algorithm design
Following the initial proof of concept routing algorithm developed in 2022, we have revamped the algorithm’s design and incorporated the impact of additional environmental variables on the movement of the boat to create virtual test conditions as close to the real world as possible.
Looking ahead
Looking into the future, DRIFT’s ambition is to build an autonomous fleet of vessels, adjusting the course automatically according to the algorithm’s predictions. Bringing energy boats to the world, the newly improved routing algorithm represents a major step towards operational use of the vessel and brings the ambition of autonomous fleets of energy generating boats closer to reality. If implemented on a wider scale, DRIFT’s boat could revolutionise green hydrogen generation, enabling multiple industries to achieve their targets of net-zero carbon emissions. This is only the beginning for DRIFT, and our team will be there to help them chart a course towards harnessing the power of the wind to protect our planet.
“Faculty were crucial in helping DRIFT to create a new mobile renewable energy class. This technology is a game-changer. It proves DRIFT beats other classes of renewable energy in terms of load factor. And that means more power, more of the time and in more places. The team working on this is exceptional and the work done is bullet-proof, as we’re now seeing the fruits of this paying off and our design loop getting faster."