Partners: Artemis Technologies and ÉireComposites.
Funding: This project is being funded by the Irish Marine Institute. €299,925 over the course of 36 months.
Project Background
Electric boats, powered by renewable energy sources, offer significant environmental advantages over traditional fossil fuel-powered vessels. They produce zero emissions, thereby reducing air and water pollution and contributing to global efforts against climate change. ECOFOIL will improve the long-term performance and reliability of electric propulsion systems and hence enable the broader adoption of sustainable maritime transport solutions. Hydrofoils are essential for enhancing the energy efficiency of maritime vessels by lifting the hull above the water, reducing drag, and minimising the energy required for propulsion. The ECOFOIL project is developing an enhanced design for the leading edge of a carbon-fibre hydrofoil. It will subsequently optimise the associated manufacturing process and test the resulting structure.
Project Objectives
The ECOFOIL project aims to optimise the development of hydrofoil leading edge design for electric boats. The use of foils dramatically reduces the drag on the boat and allows the replacement of diesel and petrol engines with electric motors. This will contribute to an overall reduction in the CO2 emissions from the maritime industry. ECOFOIL also aims at making the fabrication of foil-systems easier by optimising the fabrication process, to facilitate the large-scale production of foils, making it feasible for a large-scale implementation.
- Characterisation and structural performance testing of materials suitable for a damage tolerant hydrofoil leading edge structure
- Design a hydrofoil leading edge structure using optimised methods and materials
- Validate the design by testing a full-scale demonstrator of the finalised hydrofoil leading edge
- Develop a manufacturing process to enable high-volume production at reduced costs
- Commercialisation: Explore commercial opportunities and new markets for the ECOFOIL technology within Ireland and across Europe.
Project Consortium
ÉireComposites will coordinate the ECOFOIL project, leveraging extensive expertise in advanced composites and marine engineering to lead development and manufacturing efforts. Artemis Technologies, using their specialist expertise will lead the design of the hydrofoil, optimising the design for efficiency, scalability, and manufacturability. They will also lead the computational modelling work.
Expected Impacts
ECOFOIL will significantly contribute to sustainable development, environmental protection, and the advancement towards a climate-neutral ocean economy. By improving the long-term performance and reliability of electric propulsion systems for boats, the project will directly support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector. This aligns with international regulations, such as the FuelEU Maritime4 regulation, which aims to decrease the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used by the shipping sector by up to 80% by 2050. It also supports Ireland’s Climate Action Plan (2024) which aims to build “a comprehensive regulatory and planning regime for the maritime area supporting our ambitions for decarbonising our energy”.
By eliminating the use of fossil fuels and promoting the uptake of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), the project supports the EU’s target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
SDG’s
The project further aligns very well with several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, mainly:
- Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
- Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
- Goal 13: Climate action
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