Sustainable solutions for a green future
Internal combustion engines are an indispensable companion to the energy transition. That is why we are continuing to develop them and make them fit for climate-neutral operation.
Join us in creating a sustainable future for energy and propulsion!
Preventing further global warming while ensuring prosperity, comfort, and economic wellbeing is a huge undertaking for everyone involved. Safeguarding tomorrow’s mobility and energy supplies in a carbon-neutral way will require conquering uncharted technical territory and going down new roads. At Rolls-Royce, we're rising to this challenge with a passion. Internal combustion engines can be operated in a climate-neutral way using sustainable fuels. That is why we are continuing to develop our internal combustion engines, making them suitable for use with sustainable biofuels and e-fuels.
Combustion engines going green
Internal combustion engines running on fossil diesel or natural gas emit CO2, which increases the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. But what if the CO2 emitted by the engines was taken out of the air beforehand? Operation of these engines would then be carbon-neutral (i.e. net zero). That's why, looking to the future, we're focusing on combustion engines powered by sustainable e-fuels or 2nd generation biofuels. In other words, when the engine is run on such fuel, the only things being released into the air are things that were previously taken out of it to make the fuel in the first place. Most of our modern mtu engines can already be operated in an almost carbon-neutral way. HVO and biogas are already available and significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of diesel and gas engines.
Our path to the hydrogen engine
mtu Series 4000 natural gas engines are H2-ready and will soon be suitable for operation with a hydrogen admixture of 25 per cent by volume (H2). As part of a project, we are also advancing the development of a conversion kit for existing mtu natural gas gensets. This will enable retrofitting for 100% hydrogen operation. This will ensure that our engines are fit for the future with hydrogen and can run on natural gas, hydrogen or a mixture of both.
Our path to the methanol engine
We see e-methanol as the most promising fuel for shipping. With ‘green’ methanol from renewable energies, CO2-neutral ship operation is possible. In addition, harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides and particulates can be significantly reduced. Compared to the other sustainable fuels hydrogen, methane and ammonia, methanol has the highest energy density when the tank system is taken into account. Rolls-Royce is currently developing methanol propulsion solutions for yachts and workboats. Within the publicly funded MeOHmare project, Rolls-Royce is currently focusing on single-fuel technology and will test this on the single-cylinder test bed and on the full-engine test bed in the coming years. We are also testing dual-fuel solutions, which we consider to be a useful bridging technology.
Armin Fuerderer on automation systems for BESS
Rohit Prasad on our battery energy storage systems
Andreas Goertz on centralized and decentralized energy systems
Reliable green power with mtu EnergyPacks
The energy landscape across the world is changing: large power plants that use fossil fuels to steadily supply energy are being replaced by smaller, decentralized units, often using renewable energy sources such as sun and wind. Although they supply the energy in a completely CO2-neutral way, there is much more variability in energy production. mtu EnergyPacks take the fluctuations out of renewable power, storing excess energy for times when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. In this way, the power is constant and dispatched precisely when it is needed - whether for grid stabilization, for balancing peak loads or for voltage equalization.
NautIQ and EnergetIQ – making our systems smart
Our goal is to provide practical solutions. For us, this involves more than just the engine, it incudes the entire system. Our modern engine management systems control and monitor the engines and overall systems, enabling them to perform sustainably. Our advanced marine control system, NautIQ, provides reliable and efficient management and control solutions from bridge to propeller. We control our microgrids using the smart, adaptive EnergetIQ control system. This calculates the perfect balance of the various energy sources to generate electricity efficiently, safely and sustainably.
Microgrids for sustainable, self-sufficient power supplies
mtu microgrids can be any combination of distributed energy resources ranging from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, to battery storage solutions and dependable combustion engines. At the heart of it all is a smart, adaptive control system that manages the way the individual power sources are deployed for optimal performance and efficiency. With our smart microgrids, you are able to avoid the fluctuations of renewable resources to have constant power even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.
The best of both worlds: greater efficiency and power using hybrid drive systems
As the world continues on its transformation to greener solutions, we see the combustion engine as the sole source of drive-power becoming less and less common. Instead, it will increasingly be used as part of a hybrid power delivery system, thus offering the best of both worlds with an electric motor taking over whenever zero-carbon, noiseless operation is required. When, on the other hand, range is key, the diesel engine will swing into action. We supply hybrid traction for trains and hybrid propulsion for ships and. In all of these, the hybrid systems involve a mix of three components: a combustion engine, an electric motor and a battery. In the not-so-distant future, we expect to supplement these systems with fuel cells and renewable energy sources as well.
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