MHI, NEC to develop energy saving solution for ships

Nov 14, 2013 - Japanese shipbuilder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (TYO:7011), or MHI, and data analysis technologies provider NEC Corp (TYO:6701) will team up to develop a system that projects the energy demand of a ship during operation which will lead to savings.

The solution, dubbed Energy Demand Forecast System for Ships, is scheduled to be launched by the end of March 2015.

The system will be based on previously collected data relating to ships' energy consumption, weather patterns, ambient air temperature, and time of day, MHI said on Monday.

The product will incorporate NEC's heterogeneous mixture learning technologies which automatically detect massive patterns hidden in big data.

It will allow controlling the operating ratios of a vessel's engine and power generators, as well as the number of units to be in operation.

The achieved energy savings as a result of the system's use will contribute to lower operating costs and reduction in the environmental impact.

MHI plans to propose the system along with its Mitsubishi air lubrication system (MALS) and other environmental technologies, for application in newbuilds and in existing vessels that undergo upgrades, aiming for orders expansion in both areas. MALS reduces frictional resistance between the ship hull and seawater which results in energy savings and lowering of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

NEC intends to apply the energy demand forecast system employing heterogeneous mixture learning technologies to its building energy management system (BEMS).

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