Toshiba Corporation‘s SCiB lithium-ion battery modules have received approval for use in marine vessels from international ship classification society Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK). Ships with the battery system can use renewable energy sources to charge the SCiB while at sea, allowing the system to power on-board equipment while the ship is at anchor and to provide power when entering or leaving port. 

The certification covers twelve storage battery system components, including SCiB lithium-ion rechargeable battery modules, current sensors and battery management units (BMUs). Certified battery system components are exempt from tests ordinarily required for storage battery system components, allowing a battery system to be built in a relatively short period of time.

The certification is based on Class NK’s “Guidelines for Large-capacity Storage Batteries,” which requires the use of a BMU in the system as a safety feature. According to Toshiba, its BMU has passed safety tests at the National Laboratory for Advanced Energy Storage Technologies (NLAB) of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, which confirmed it to be compliant with JIS C8715-2, the safety standard for lithium-ion battery cells and battery systems for industrial applications.

Source: Toshiba