Individual solutions for sustainable drives

These internal combustion engines can be operated with either hydrogen or diesel, thereby offering a high level of reliability. If the diesel fuel is also replaced by HVO, the local CO₂ emissions can be reduced even further. Hydrogen dual-fuel engines are suitable for all applications in which there is sufficient space for the tank infrastructure, and in which hydrogen tanks can be installed on board safely without loss of space. In a first project, MAN Engines equipped the crew transfer ship “Hydrocat 48” with a dual-fuel engine back in mid-2022.

Hybrid solutions use the combination of different drives together with battery storage. The degree of hybridisation can be flexibly adapted to the application through the flexible combination of diesel and electric engines, as well as the addition of components such as batteries or on-board equipment – for example with the MAN Smart HYBRID Experience. This enables low-noise and low-vibration movement in harbours or in emission-control zones, convenient anchoring and efficient cruising in the optimum engine map range. Alternative fuels such as HVO make hybrid drives even more sustainable. In addition, during longer periods in the harbour the batteries can be easily recharged with green shore power.

MAN marine engines are approved for HVO according to EN 15940 in Europe and in line with the US specification ASTM D975. As a result, local CO₂ emissions can be immediately reduced by up to 90 percent. Ships can therefore be used beyond the planned depreciation period and the existing tank infrastructure does not need to be modified. Furthermore, alternative fuels enable official vehicles such as police boats, rescue boats and pilot boats to be conventionally serviced, quickly refuelled and put into operation.

Battery-electric drives open up a wide range of possible uses in agricultural applications with a manageable period of use. The on-site charging stations are ideally operated using sustainably self-produced electricity – via photovoltaic systems, wind turbines or biogas systems depending on the available space. Yard loaders and diggers also use part of the energy from the shovelling operation for constant recharging of the battery through recuperation.

MAN off-road engines are approved for HVO according to EN 15940 in Europe and in line with the US specification ASTM D975. As a result, local CO₂ emissions can be immediately reduced by up to 90 percent. At the same time, HVO, for example, offers the same energy density as conventional diesel fuel and is therefore ideal for power-hungry applications such as forage harvesters or combine harvesters. Another advantage of the alternative fuel is that costly agricultural machinery can be used beyond the planned depreciation period and the existing tank infrastructure does not need to be modified. In addition, machines can be refuelled quickly in the field when there is a high workload at harvest time.

Produce electricity while utilising the generated heat: the principle of combined heat and power (CHP) is as simple as it is ingenious – and perfectly suited for farms, which inevitably accumulate a large amount of waste material. This material is full of energy and is ideal for use as fuel in a cogeneration unit. Overall efficiency levels of around 90 percent provide all the evidence you need. If biogas is used as the energy source, further significant reductions in local CO₂ emissions are possible compared with diesel fuel. Alternatively, MAN natural gas engines can be operated with up to 20 percent by volume of hydrogen in the natural gas, which also reduces local CO₂ emissions.

From the bridging technology to the future: MAN Engines is already testing stationary combustion engines that can run entirely on hydrogen. This should mean that it is possible to achieve the high efficiency of combined heat and power generation without local emissions.

Lots of railway lines remain non-electrified – and it will not be possible to electrify them economically in the future either. Nevertheless, the trains on these lines do not need to run on conventional diesel, because HVO can also power locomotives and railcars. MAN off-road engines are approved for HVO according to EN 15940 in Europe and in line with the US specification ASTM D975. As a result, local CO₂ emissions can be immediately reduced by up to 90 percent. Existing fleets can therefore quickly make a major contribution to reducing local emissions.

Shunting locomotives can combine a climate-friendly HVO engine with a battery-electric drive. With this hybrid drive, the shunting locomotive can recuperate energy whenever the brakes are applied, making it even more energy efficient. This means it is possible to move quietly in the station without producing emissions.

Natural gas still plays the key role in industrially used cogeneration units for generating electricity and heat, but the systems are set to become significantly more sustainable in the future through the addition of hydrogen or biomethane. The existing natural gas network can be used for this purpose, making the changeover quick and inexpensive. Cogeneration units of this kind also help to balance the fluctuating availability of wind and sun, thereby stabilising the power grid. Stationary hydrogen engines can, with the appropriate infrastructure, replace cogeneration units with natural gas or biogas and can be operated locally without emissions.

Sewage treatment plants are increasingly developing into decentralised power plants. This is because there is a lot of energy in sewage sludge, which can be used to generate electricity and heat in a cogeneration unit with a very high degree of efficiency. Many sewage treatment plants have therefore already significantly reduced their electricity and gas costs. Gas engines from MAN Engines are used at many of these plants.

Short-term outages in the power grid are a problem for many facilities such as hospitals and data centres. This is why the operators have installed emergency power generators, which step in immediately when needed and guarantee uninterrupted operation. Operation with biomethane is already possible, so security of supply and sustainability can go hand in hand. The reliable German gas grid ensures a high level of reliability.

High energy requirements limited to a specific period of time or area – for example on large construction sites, at festivals or as part of operations by the German federal civil protection organisation – often have to be covered with mobile power generators. In these applications diesel can be easily replaced with HVO, which reduces local CO₂ emissions by around 90 percent while retaining the same performance.

In the future, large battery storage systems will ideally also compensate for fluctuations in electricity production caused by increasingly volatile energy sources such as wind power and solar energy. These are set up at strategically advantageous points and can receive or release energy in a matter of seconds and provide relief for the grid.