Genevos has joined MARINER, a new €7 million Horizon Europe project coordinated by NORCE Research, co-funded by the European Commission through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
MARINER will focus on the development and validation of a modular, scalable 1 MW PEM fuel cell system for maritime applications. Genevos’ participation in the project is supported by €2.2 million in EU funding.
As the maritime sector works to reduce emissions and transition towards green, sustainable fuels, one of the key technical challenges is how to deliver reliable zero-emission power for larger, more energy-intensive vessels. MARINER addresses this challenge through a strong focus on durability, testing and system validation at higher power levels.
With considerable experience in low-temperature PEM fuel cell integration for marine applications, Genevos will contribute through the engineering and delivery of a robust marine hydrogen power fuel cell system.
The MARINER project will assemble and validate a breakthrough 1 MW containerized fuel cell system, achieving an unprecedented level of power density. The system will undergo endurance testing under humid, saline and temperature-variable maritime realistic conditions for more than 1000 hours, generating valuable data on reliability, durability and operational performance. In parallel, a 200 kW module will also undergo Accelerated Stress Testing equivalent to more than 40,000 operating hours, helping the consortium better understand durability mechanisms and pathways to longer service life.
The project will also develop digital twins, diagnostics and health-conscious control strategies to improve monitoring, predictive maintenance and safe load sharing. Alongside technical validation, MARINER includes work on safety procedures, complete lifecycle analysis, total cost of ownership and pathways to Technology Level readiness (TRL9), helping connect engineering results with future deployment in the maritime sector.
Commercial Director, Philippe Davignon at Genevos said: “Decarbonising maritime transport will require solutions capable of supporting demanding duty cycles and higher-power applications. MARINER is important because it focuses on testing, validation and operational evidence. Through this initiative we will continue to prove that fuel cell power systems offer a durable, safe and highly efficient solution for energy-intensive vessels transitioning to green, sustainable fuels.”
MARINER consortium partners include:
- NORCE Research AS - research institute / project coordinator
- ARMINES / Association pour la Recherche et le Développement des Méthodes et Processus Industriels - applied research organisation
- École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (Mines Paris) - engineering school / research institution
- VARD Electro AS - marine electrical systems company
- Genevos SAS - marine fuel cell system provider
- University of Stuttgart - university / research institution
- Lloyd’s Register EMEA - classification society / assurance and certification body
- CERTH / Ethniko Kentro Erevnas Kai Technologikis Anaptyxis - research centre
- Dowel Innovation - engineering and innovation consultancy
- Sustainable Energy AS - testing center
- Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) - public research organisation
- Kiara Nautiki Etaireia - shipping company / vessel operator
- LMG Marin France - naval architecture and marine engineering company
- Scorpio Ship Management SAM - ship management company / associated partner