Smart Energy for Sustainable Seas
Smart Transformer for Enhanced Efficiency and Sustainability in Maritime Transportation (STEESMAT) is a 42-month Horizon Europe Innovation Action focused on advancing energy systems for large vessels. The project introduces a new onboard Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) grid built around solid-state transformer (SST) technology, designed to improve efficiency and support the integration of low- and zero-emission energy sources.
Impact
By demonstrating a fully integrated, scalable, and efficient DC-based power system, STEESMAT contributes directly to decarbonisation of maritime transport. The project lays the foundation for widespread retrofitting and adoption of next-generation onboard energy architectures. It also supports harmonisation of technical standards, reducing market entry barriers for sustainable technologies across the European fleet.
Objectives
The project addresses the HORIZON-CL5-2023-D5-01-05 topic, supporting the transition to efficient, zero-emission energy systems on board vessels (ZEWT Partnership). The project will:
- Develop and demonstrate a modular MVDC onboard power system based on SST technology
- Enable safe and direct integration of batteries and fuel cells through a new low-voltage DC hub
- Design and implement a smart energy management and control system for optimised energy flows and minimised emissions in real time.
- Validate the complete system in a controlled land-based environment and on board a large, operational vessel
- Advance the technology from TRL5 to TRL8 during the course of the project
- Support development of standards for safe and interoperable MVDC architectures.
- Lay the groundwork for broad replication across different vessel types and operational profiles, enabling scalable decarbonisation of the existing and future fleet.
Key Innovations
The STEESMAT project will design, build and validate a modular and scalable onboard DC power system tailored to the needs of high-powered vessels. It consists of three core components:
- A highly efficient solid-state transformer (SST) enabling plug-and-play MVDC-to-LVDC conversion
- A secondary low-voltage DC hub designed to safely integrate batteries and fuel cells
- A smart energy management and control system for optimizing energy use and reducing emissions
Together, these technologies simplify onboard electrical systems and unlock new possibilities for vessel design, energy flexibility, and emissions reduction.
A Strong European Consortium
The project brings together a consortium of 13 European partners from Norway, Germany, Finland, France, and the Czech Republic. It brings together industry, research, academia, and non-profits with expertise in maritime technology, power electronics, system simulation, and standardisation.
Together, they are developing and demonstrating a new onboard energy system to support the maritime sector’s green transition.
The full STEESMAT system will first be validated in Sustainable Energy´s Energy House facilities in Norway and later installed and demonstrated onboard the RV North Star, showcasing real-world performance.
