MV Sea Change

About

● It is a hydrogen fuel driven commercial passenger ferry.

●The project was financed and managed by SWITCH Maritime.

●The vessel was constructed at Bay Ship and Yacht in Alameda, California, and All-American Marine in Bellingham, Washington.

Features

●It can transport up to 75 passengers along the waterfront between Pier 41 and the downtown San Francisco ferry terminal.

●Passengers can even drink the emissions from an onboard water fountain.

●It can travel about 300 nautical miles and operate for 16 hours before needing to refuel.

Significance

●It is the world's first commercial passenger ferry powered by 100% hydrogen fuel.

●Unlike current diesel-powered ferries that emit pollutants, the hydrogen-powered Sea Change produces only heat and water vapor as byproducts.

●Technology can help clean up the shipping industry, which produces nearly 3% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydrogen fuel cells

●They produce electricity by combining oxygen and hydrogen in an electrochemical reaction.

●They convert chemical energy from hydrogen into electrical energy.

They use pure hydrogen as fuel and produce water and heat as byproducts. Hydrogen fuel cells have many advantages, including:

●Efficiency: They can be two to three times more efficient than traditional combustion technologies.

●Clean fuel: They don't emit harmful substances when burned, and the only byproduct is water.

●Renewable source: Hydrogen can be produced repeatedly, unlike other non-renewable energy sources.

●No recharging needed: They work like batteries but don't need to be recharged or run down.

●Quiet: They are much quieter than diesel or gasoline vehicles.

●Scalable: They can be easily scaled up by increasing the fuel supply, unlike batteries which require heavier components.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following compounds/gases:

1)Ammonia

2)Water

3)Hydrogen

4) Sulphur Dioxide

Which of the above is/are released as exhaust from hydrogen fuel cells?

a)1 and 2 only

b) 2 and 3 only

c) 1 and 3 only

d) None of the above

Answer: b