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Spain's La Naval shipyard has awarded an energy storage contract for an advanced hybrid compressed natural gas (CNG) ferry to Canadian firm Corvus Energy.

The new ferry, named Texelstroom, is being built for Dutch ferry operator TESO and is due to run between the Dutch islands of Texel and Den Helder.

Texelstroom is a new generation vessel for the transportation of up to 1,750 people and 350 vehicles. Powered by either low sulphur (bio) diesel or CNG, the vessel will also include over 700 square meters of solar panels in order to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. The ferry's advanced energy management system will utilize 252 Corvus Energy AT6500 48V lithium ion modules.

The 1.6 megawatt hour (MWh) battery capacity will be used to increase efficiency and for backup power. This large battery reserve means that the entire ferry can be run on battery power alone in case of emergency. The energy storage system (ESS) also enables the designers to specify smaller generators, as the batteries can be used to provide short power-up and power-down capabilities.

Class approved by Lloyd's Register, the Corvus Energy system is the only Type Approved ESS for marine vessels in the market today.

"We are very pleased that Corvus' energy storage system was selected for this innovative and leading edge vessel," said Andrew Morden, Interim CEO of Corvus Energy. "We are very proud to partner with LaNaval in making the Texelstroom the world's greenest passenger ferry."

"Corvus Energy technology is an effective solution for hybridization of commercial CNG powered vessels. The consistent power and reliability provided by the ESS supports the specific performance attributes of these clean vessels," Corvus Energy said in a statement.

Cees de Waal, Director, TESO, explained: "TESO's investment in Texelstroom shows our ongoing commitment to increasing efficiency in our systems. These efficiencies will not only benefit the company and customers in terms of reduced costs, but also the environment in terms of reduced emissions."

"The adaptable and modular Corvus ESS allows vessel system integrators and designers an alternative source of energy to redesign systems and reduce system complexity and costs. With multiple hybrid systems deployed across a variety of sectors, Corvus Energy's industry leading experience and expert personnel will ensure the Texelstroom solution performs well both now and far into the future," Corvus Energy added.