DRIFT’s hydrogen-generating boat promised to revolutionise renewable energy. We helped make their concept a reality with a routing algorithm that helps the boat follow the most favourable winds.
2x
As effective at producing electricity as offshore wind
72.5%
Efficiency (or load factor)
1st
Boat in the world to produce hydrogen at sea using just wind
Maximise energy generation by going where the wind is strongest
Renewable energy usually exists at the whims of the weather.
And that fact 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.
But the urgent need for clean, green energy is pushing the world’s most innovative companies to find new approaches. So instead of waiting for the right conditions, what if a wind-powered energy source could follow the wind, instead of waiting for it to appear?
DRIFT wanted to find out. They’d designed the world’s first foiling boat that produces and stores green hydrogen gas just by sailing – and were almost ready to test it out.
There was just one thing missing. An algorithm that could help the boat find the most efficient course – and hunt down the best winds for maximum hydrogen generation – in real time.
Ambition
Execution
Results
Future
Building the boat
One boat. Three best-in-class technologies.
For the pilot project to work, DRIFT needed to know what would happen if it combined the best of the best in sailing, green hydrogen generation, and AI.
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 until it reaches land, to then be used as sustainable fuel.
A best-in-class algorithm to plot the boat’s course.
We simulated what would happen if Faculty’s algorithm was used to help the boat plan its route, so it can generate the maximum possible energy on each outing.
A race-winning foiling boat design.
Light, fast, and agile, DRIFT’s 18-foot boat is capable of reaching 25 knots (46.3 km/h) at full tilt.
Our data scientists dug deep into the science of seafaring to understand which factors contribute to strong winds.
Their algorithm uses data on how DRIFT’s vessels perform at sea under various weather conditions to help the boats generate the most power in the shortest time, while keeping the boats safe. The key is finding a route that avoids the worst weather and steers clear of lulls.
Bringing energy boats to the world The trial represents a major step forward in the field of renewable energy.
If implemented on a wider scale, DRIFT’s boat could revolutionise green hydrogen generation – and potentially accelerate the world’s journey towards net-zero carbon emissions.
DRIFT plans to continue sea trials and increase the number of energy-generating boats on the water.
We’ll look to help them explore how the technology will run in bigger boats, including a 130-foot boat, within the year.
This is only the beginning for DRIFT – and we’ll be there to help them chart a course towards using our beautiful oceans to protect our planet.
Future
Results
Execution
Ambition
+20%
0%
100%
Case study: DRIFT
AI is harnessing the seas for the next generation of clean energy capture
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2x
72.5%
1st
As effective at producing electricity as offshore wind
Together, we created a simulation that showed what would happen if you brought together:
Designing the algorithm
It starts with predicting where the wind will be strongest and how long it will last.
But finding the optimum route doesn’t just mean predicting 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 – ideally – the precise moment that it fills up its hydrogen tank.
Creating the simulation
Bringing together all of this data – the boat design, the weather conditions, and the impact of both of these things on hydrogen generation – allowed us to create a digital twin of the DRIFT boat.
Using that digital twin, we created simulations of thousands of voyages, measuring how much hydrogen the boat will generate on each outing. The results had huge implications for the future of green hydrogen generation.
A green hydrogen revolution
Faculty were totally crucial in helping us create a new mobile renewable energy class.
This technology is a game-changer. It means our energy yachts will find more wind and generate more green hydrogen. 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. This is only the start of our partnership as we seek to make a long-term contribution to UK decarbonisation efforts."
Ben Medland, Founder and CEO of DRIFT
At the end of July 2022, during the first trial off the coast of Brightlingsea, Essex, DRIFT’s 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 72.5%.
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.
Fine-tuning, expanding, and taking the renewable energy market by storm
With the first test complete, it’s time to begin the next phase: getting bigger energy boats ready for operational use.
The routing algorithm is already advanced, but DRIFT are looking ahead for ways to further enhance the efficiency of the boat.
That could include anything from making the predictions more accurate by bringing in more data from across the energy and climate sector, to making adjustments to the design of the boat that allow it to generate more energy.
DRIFT’s ambition is for the boats to become autonomous, adjusting course automatically according to the algorithm’s predictions. This next stage is likely to involve the use of machine learning to process data from cameras, radar, and other sensors, which will allow the boat to avoid other vessels and obstacles at sea.
Designing the algorithm
It starts with predicting where the wind will be strongest and how long it will last.
But finding the optimum route doesn’t just mean predicting 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 – ideally – the precise moment that it fills up its hydrogen tank.
Creating the simulation
Bringing together all of this data – the boat design, the weather conditions, and the impact of both of these things on hydrogen generation – allowed us to create a digital twin of the DRIFT boat.
Using that digital twin, we created simulations of thousands of voyages, measuring how much hydrogen the boat will generate on each outing. The results had huge implications for the future of green hydrogen generation.
A green hydrogen revolution
At the end of July 2022, during the first trial off the coast of Brightlingsea, Essex, DRIFT’s 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 72.5%.
Fine-tuning, expanding, and taking the renewable energy market by storm
With the first test complete, it’s time to begin the next phase: getting bigger energy boats ready for operational use.
The routing algorithm is already advanced, but DRIFT are looking ahead for ways to further enhance the efficiency of the boat.
That could include anything from making the predictions more accurate by bringing in more data from across the energy and climate sector, to making adjustments to the design of the boat that allow it to generate more energy.
DRIFT’s ambition is for the boats to become autonomous, adjusting course automatically according to the algorithm’s predictions. This next stage is likely to involve the use of machine learning to process data from cameras, radar, and other sensors, which will allow the boat to avoid other vessels and obstacles at sea.
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