Lunch break
Time: 12:25–14:05
Guests broke for lunch following a busy morning of sessions.
Battery innovation and future propulsion take focus
Venue: K3
Session name: Safer, smarter, greener: The evolution of yacht power
Speakers: Liam Phelan, head of business development, HPB; Derek Munro, director, Divergent Yachting
This session examined emerging power technologies shaping the future of yachting. Liam Phelan discussed solid-state batteries and their safety and sustainability benefits, while Derek Munro explored advances in graphene supercapacitors and presented a provocative concept combining graphene and nuclear technology.
Phelan kicked off the session. He said: "In our business, we're driven by questioning the obvious energy storage, and we do this really simply to be able to support our technical development. Sounds very simple, but every day we ask the questions, 'Do batteries have to burn? Do batteries have to age? Do batteries have to harm the environment?' The answer is, of course, no." He then offered HPB's solution – the solid-state battery. "It's super safe, it's super long-lasting and super green, but there's more behind that."
Phelan explored how this applied to superyachts, thinking about how most yachts spend 60 to 80 per cent of their operating time typically at anchor or port. "Once you look at superyachts through this lens, the role of batteries becomes very straightforward and much easier to be able to understand. At anchor, systems don't just switch off. They become the dominant energy demand, climate control, refrigeration, wine storage, lighting, ambience, entertainment and connectivity. [...] Onboard services are running continuously, often at the same time, and the load profile is extended."
"This is what defines the real energy challenge on a superyacht – not propulsion, but everything else that has to work flawlessly when the other stationary. Many conventional battery applications, however, when you apply them to superyacht operator profilers, some natural constraints begin to appear." He continued: "The battery needs to be genuinely useful, not just theoretically available on the spec sheet."
Derek Munro, director at Divergent Yachting, then took to the stage to offer an alternative battery approach via supercapacitor graphene batteries.
Currently certified for land-based projects, the technology is non-combustible with an improved lifespan, fast charging, and no loss in storage capacity for 30+ years (where traditional batteries will lose 2-5 per cent per year). With Lloyd’s Register testing currently underway, Munro expects a full marine rollout by the end of the first quarter in 2026.
In addition, Munro is also developing Micro Modular Reactors (MMRs), a form of nuclear power suitable for yachts 45 metres and above. “Combine these (MMRs) with graphene batteries, that’s where we’re at zero fossil fuels. From 2030 onwards, there is the possibility that we’ll have boats over 40 metres with zero fossil fuels, which is quite exciting to think about,” said Munro.
“[Nuclear] is definitely the way forward. What we have to tell people and educate them a bit about is that it is intrinsically safe,” he added, arguing that under certain circumstances, the technology is safer than traditional diesel engines.