The transition from fossil fuels to zero-carbon sustainable energy will be led by the adoption of future fuels. This will effectively reduce emissions and gradually abate climate change impacts. However, this transition process is challenging and is dependent on the gradual development of technology including improving existing technology over the next few decades. This paper makes predictions on the use of various new technologies to achieve the decarbonization goals in the marine industry.
The pathways for decarbonization require gradually increasing the use of low carbon and carbon free fuels over time. Alternatives to fossil fuel combustions potentially include zero-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen or ammonia, and low-carbon fuels, such as biofuels, methanol made from plant waste, biomass etc. paired with carbon capture to prevent any released carbon from escaping into the atmosphere. This paper covers, methodically, the use of different energy options for each application, evaluates each technology along with its prospective readiness levels and finally, determine the steps needed to be taken to decarbonize the marine industry.
The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy targets net-zero emissions by or around 2050 for the marine industry. The framework represents the ambitious visions for Member States, setting goals to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the mid and long term, with possible timelines, and their impact. To meet these ambitious timelines, the whole industry needs to work together to find the correct solutions, and gradually adopt them in the coming decades. The need for green energy requires a drastic advancement of technologies from concept to production. It would not be possible to scale up clean energy dramatically in a short period, but it is possible to accomplish this phase by phase. Some clean energy may be produced from fossil fuel by sequestering and storing the excess carbon and some may be obtained from renewable resources, that said, net-zero or close to net-zero emissions will require massive technological advancements.
