No Discharge By Bruce Buls, Correspondent
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hen the Sea Change, a 70'×25' aluminum catamaran with seating for 78, was first conceived, the developers called it the Water-Go-Round. The name reflected both the vessel’s mission as a waterborne ferry and its power system, which would be water-sourced hydrogen powering fuel cells that generate electricity to turn motors and charge batteries. So, from water comes the power to push the Water-Go-Round around. That name dates back to 2018, when the newly formed company Golden Gate Zero Emissions Marine received a $3 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (funded by California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions) to design and construct a passenger ferry powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The company was founded by Dr. Joe Pratt, who had been working as a research engi-
The name Sea Change reflects both the vessel’s mission as a waterborne ferry and its power system — water-sourced hydrogen that powers fuel cells.
neer at the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, Calif., near San Francisco Bay. At Sandia, Pratt and colleague Dr. Lennie Klebanoff took what they considered a “crazy idea” and put together a study of potential marine uses of hydrogen fuel cells. The study focused in part on a concept vessel called the SF Breeze, which was envisioned as a 350-passenger catamaran ferry powered by hydrogen. It was an outlandish idea, said Pratt, because no one had seriously looked into the possibility of running a boat that big using only hydrogen. “In 2015, the main focus for fuel cells was on cars, and also forklifts, which need about five kilowatts of power,” he said. “Cars use maybe 80 to 100 kilowatts. Both require only a few kilograms of hydrogen storage.” www.workboat.com • NOVEMBER 2021 • WorkBoat
All American Marine photos
The first commercial hydrogen-powered vessel hits the water.
