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Demonstrating efficient fully DC electric grids within waterborne transport for large ship applications (ZEWT Partnership)

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Expected Outcome:
Project outputs and results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Enabling reduced emissions from waterborne transport through increased electrification including hybrid power systems.
• Demonstration of the feasibility of a secondary smart DC grid (engineering framework, distribution/protection devices).
• Demonstration of smart management and control of hybrid electric plants, combining different energy sources, including sustainable climate neutral fuels so as to minimize total lifecycle net GHG emissions
• Development of a new configuration for the entire power generation architecture for large scale waterborne transport ready to be deployed.
• Development of new power electronic systems for AC/DC converters and DC circuit breakers within the electrical network with higher efficiency.
• Assessment of the waterborne transport emission reduction from increased electrification including hybrid power systems. Benchmarking and quantification of achieved GHG emission reduction through relevant quantifiable KPIs.
• Assessment through verifiable KPIs of the operating costs reductions and the reduction in emissions by cutting energy consumption and extending service intervals of the generator sets.
• Assessment through verifiable KPIs of the efficiency and power density improvements to reduce the overall volume and weight. Scope:
Primary DC systems are now applied on multiple types of ships, employing battery energy storage. The application of DC grids on-board has already started and will grow significantly because of its promising aspects such as reduction of complexity, increased modularity and improved integration. However, further progress is required to unlock the full potential of an on-board DC grid for large ship applications (over 5000 GT) addressing the entire network for both primary and secondary (auxiliary) distribution system, taking into account the various on-board applications of ship's electrification systems (e.g. high-power fuel cells, batteries, etc.) The challenge is to focus not only on secondary distribution, but also on the integration/interconnection of new sustainable primary power systems within a DC grid network serving the entire ship
In order to address the above-mentioned challenge, proposals are expected to address all the following aspects:

• Develop high TRL innovative power electronic systems (e.g. converters, circuit breakers with logic selectivity) adapted and certified for waterborne transport applications.
• Develop a new concept of smart, flexible, plug-and-play DC power grid which leverages the capability of new power electronic systems and allows for different DC power generation systems based on sustainable alternative energy sources.
• Research the impact of design choices, safety measures and integration on the ship. This will require the development and on-board integration of high-power equipment and systems to complement the electrical grid (e.g. solid-state protection, solid-state transformers, Silicon-Carbide Power Devices,
• Develop a prototype system at small scale (min. 100kW) within a real waterborne transport environment. Demonstrate the functionality and the integration of its components, prove the possibilities for further upscaling. Prove the feasibility and benefits of distributing main power based on DC instead of AC.
• Validate the system with classification societies ensuring the highest standards for safety and reliability.
• Develop standards for on-board DC microgrids and communication protocols which are particularly valuable for large ships where there is differentiation between the electrical supplies towards different zones (e.g. zones with ICE and zones with RES systems).
• Integrate new power electronic systems within the ship’s network with advanced control systems to cope with variable loads and high levels of DC currents to interrupt.
• The emissions, efficiency and operational savings are expected to be demonstrated on a relevant ship type to validate the research results. The transferability of the applications to be applied has to be proven towards a range of vessel types, including those which have larger battery systems and longer autonomy. The demonstration is expected to serve as a reference for a wide spectrum of ship's types using electrical propulsion and auxiliary power.
• Where relevant, synergies and collaboration should be planned with the related activities and projects arising from linked Horizon Europe initiatives, in particular the Batteries and Clean Hydrogen JU partnerships.
• Plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used. All relevant stakeholders (electrical distribution and protection manufacturers, engineering companies, manufacturers of electrical equipment, users, shipyards, etc.) should participate in proposals in view of the systems development.
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Zero Emission Waterborne Transport’ (ZEWT) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
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Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

Status
Closed
Deadline
(time not stated)
Opens
Published
Total budget
€15,000,000
Grant range
€7,500,000 – €7,500,000
Country
European Union (EU-wide)
Programme
Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
Official page
Open at the source portal

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Source document
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-cl5-2024-d5-01-14.json
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0f4f2f3132896864 (SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)
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© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.

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The source last updated this document on Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:04:12 GMT.

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