Helsinki-headquartered power electronics specialist The Switch has announced that it will supply a DC power and power protection device package as part of the battery-electric system for the world’s largest fully electric RoPax on order for Argentinian ferry operator Buquebus.

Wärtsilä will provide the uniquely designed, fully battery-powered vessel with e-motor driven Wärtsilä waterjets as the main propulsors. Corvus Energy will supply an energy storage system (ESS) battery storage that will be four times larger than any battery installation installed on a hybrid-electric ship currently operating, offering over 40 MWh of energy storage. 

DC power distribution in ships is widely recognized as being more energy-efficient than AC systems in many cases. However, DC power distribution needs a different protection philosophy. Moreover, today’s larger batteries require ultra-fast and fail-safe protection to withstand larger battery short-circuit currents. In addition, ultra-fast protection devices reduce the size of the total system by reducing the short-circuit current levels in the system.