Power Systems Sustainability

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Rolls-Royce Power System

Powering the prosperity, comfort, and economic wellbeing of our planet means enabling a future that is compatible with net zero carbon emissions. Through our Power Systems business, we're rising to this challenge, exploring the use of sustainable fuels and investing in innovative products and technologies that will help achieve a carbon-neutral future.

Sustainable fuels

Sustainable fuels are key to a carbon-neutral future for energy and propulsion. By ensuring that our combustion engines are compatible with biofuels, hydrogen and other e-fuels produced using green, renewable electricity, we can deliver cleaner energy.


Reducing CO2 with HVO fuel

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is a biofuel derived from waste fats and oils. It is one of the first commercially available fuels that can be used to power internal combustion engines in a significantly more climate-friendly way, enabling us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90%.

By leveraging the emission-reducing possibilities of biofuels like HVO in our existing and future engines, we will be well on our way to achieving our 2030 target of reducing total emissions by 35% as compared to 2019. Most of our engines for power generation and propulsion are already approved to run on HVO.

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Sustainable energy and propulsion solutions

As we look ahead to a more sustainable future, we're focusing on combustion engines powered by sustainable e-fuels or second-generation biofuels. To make our engines as efficient as possible, we integrate them into complex hybrid drive systems and entire power generation networks.

Combustion engines

Internal combustion engines will continue to play a critical role in powering most ships, the heaviest off-highway vehicles and power generation equipment. Now, the opportunity to use biofuels and e-fuels makes them a key part of the journey to net zero and significantly lowering emissions.

mtu Series 4000 natural gas engines are H2-ready and will soon be suitable for operation with a hydrogen admixture of 25% 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. In the marine sector, we’re also working to develop the use case for methanol.


Automation

At Rolls-Royce, we provide practical solutions that go beyond the engine. Our modern management systems control and monitor our engines, enabling them to perform more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Our advanced marine control system, NautIQ, provides reliable and efficient management and control solutions from bridge to propeller, while our microgrids use the smart, adaptive EnergetIQ control system to calculate the perfect balance of various energy sources at once.

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Energy Storage

One of the greatest challenges of the energy transition is ensuring the reliability of renewable energy sources such as sun and wind which can fluctuate with availability. At Rolls-Royce, we’ve developed EnergyPacks to store excess energy and provide a constant supply precisely when it’s needed, whether for grid stabilization, balancing peak loads or voltage equalisation.

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Our Products

Microgrids 

Our microgrids can be any combination of distributed energy resources ranging from renewables like 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, fluctuations from renewable resources can be avoided, enabling constant power even when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

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Hybrid drive systems

As we transition to greener solutions, the market for hybrid power delivery systems to support combustion engines will continue to grow. Each of our hybrid systems for trains and ships involves a combustion engine, an electric motor and a battery, offering the best of both worlds with an electric motor taking over whenever zero-carbon, noiseless operation is required. When, on the other hand, when range is key, the diesel engine will swing into action.

Marine Solutions

Rail Solutions