Toward the future: The MVDC large ship research program

Nowadays, the Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) technology represents a new possibility to renew the shipboard power system of large All Electric Ships (e.g. cruise liners or military vessels.). This new concept is capable of achieving valued advantages, such as simplified system integration, modularity and system efficiency, together with an expected reduction of the space devoted to technical system. For a shipyard interested in keeping a leading position in the market, such benefits will be the main strength points. Therefore, the MVDC Large Ship research program (presented in the paper) has been carried out trying to meet with the industrial needs of one of the partners, whose expertise deeply influenced the research and was deemed indispensable: Fincantieri Shipyard.