Biofuels for greener boating

Yes. HVO is 100% miscible so can be added and mixed in any proportions.

In an existing boat the best option, at least in theory, is to burn wood from renewable sources.  After that comes burning oil or gas in purpose-designed appliances with a likely 70% efficiency.  Direct electric heating from a generator will only be about 30% efficient, as that is all the generator is likely to achieve.

In a new build there is the option of installing a water-source heat pump.  The efficiency of the heat pump is likely to exceed 300%, meaning that, even using power from a 30% efficient generator, more heat will be produced than the calorific value of the original fuel.  If a suitable fuel cell can be sourced, then the sky’s the limit!

As far as we are aware, the same rules will apply as the to the road sector.  Existing diesel boats will not be banned but building new ones will.  The date is, we believe, 2030 and 2035 for hybrids.

At the moment, cost is a significant issue. An electric-drive package from a single supplier being likely to cost about £40k.  This can be reduced significantly by mixing and matching products from different manufacturers and particularly by buying components not marked ‘marine’ wherever possible.  For example, an 8 kVA marine generator costs about £15k, while an equivalent industrial one can be bought for £5k. It will need extra soundproofing but not £10k worth!  To set against that, a well-designed, generator-based, electric drive system will use only 30 to 40% as much diesel as will a diesel propulsion engine, an ongoing saving of £150+ per annum.

Looking further ahead there seem to be two, potentially cheaper, scenarios:
1. If or when battery technology improves to the point where charging from a shore-line becomes viable, the generator can be eliminated completely, and
2. Significant cost savings seem likely if or when fuel cells become available.  It has been suggested that the cells themselves will cost less than generators and, because the batteries will only need to do a buffering job, they can be considerably smaller.  Unfortunately, attempts to acquire a suitable fuel cell for evaluation have so far drawn a blank. A slight red herring is that the heat from a fuel cell will probably provide all the heating for a narrowboat for 8 or 9 months of the year, representing a further useful saving.

• Crown Oils will sell direct to the public in quantities as small as 205 litre drums and 1000 litre IBC. Crown Oils provide a country-wide link up with a range of small, private fuel distributors, as with all bulk fuel deliveries the minimum quantity is 500 litres. In London and the Home Counties they also operate as Speedy Fuels and in the Midlands as Beesley Fuels.
• New Era (who operate as GBF Ltd). Quantities from 20 litres to 1000 IBCs to bulk.
• Green D+ HVO Fuel Box – 20 litre boxes: Orion Air Sales.
• North Kilworth Marina
• Rose Narrowboats, Brinklow
• Stonebridge Lock, River Lee – Lee Wilshire – 07970 704532

Information for boatyards: Crown Oils are offering to put a separate tank in free of charge for a trial period where a marina or boatyard, etc wishes to trial HVO.  They have self-contained, ready-to-go units that can be just dropped into place.  Anyone wishing to follow up on this should contact Ryan Abreu at Crown Oils on 07585 792918.