Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
This professional diploma teaches you to analyze, size and maintain a boat's complete electrical installation, from generation with alternators and generator sets to storage in lithium batteries and DC and AC distribution. You will work with energy balances, single-line diagrams and reference standards such as ISO 13297 and ABYC E-11.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution?
This professional diploma teaches you to analyze, size and maintain a boat's complete electrical installation, from generation with alternators and generator sets to storage in lithium batteries and DC and AC distribution. You will calculate battery bank capacities from a realistic energy balance, choose alternators, generators and solar panels according to the consumption profile, define panels, cable sizes and protection in line with ISO 13297, combine solar, wind and hydro generation in hybrid systems, and locate faults with a multimeter, clamp meter and monitoring.
What sets this diploma apart: a system view, with generation, storage and consumption treated as one whole; reference standards, with applied study of ISO 13297, ISO 10133 and ABYC E-11; current technology, including LiFePO4 lithium, BMS, inverter-chargers and hybridisation; a practical approach, with energy balances, cable sizing and real diagrams; and an integrative project in which you design the complete energy system of a yacht.
Program highlights
- System view: generation, storage and consumption treated as one whole.
- Reference standards: applied study of ISO 13297, ISO 10133 and ABYC E-11.
- Current technology: LiFePO4 lithium, BMS, inverter-chargers and hybridisation.
- Practical approach: energy balances, cable sizing and real diagrams.
- Renewables: solar, wind, hydrogenerators and methanol fuel cells.
- Integrative project: the complete energy system of a 14 m cruising yacht.
Syllabus of the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
8 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Fundamentals of electricity applied to boats
- 1.1. Basic electrical quantities: voltage, current, resistance and power in 12, 24 and 48 V installations
- 1.2. Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws and calculating series and parallel circuits on board
- 1.3. Direct current versus alternating current: characteristics, advantages and uses on leisure craft
- 1.4. General architecture of a yacht's electrical system: generation, storage, distribution and consumption
- 1.5. Reading and interpreting single-line diagrams and standard electrical symbols in the marine sector
- 1.6. Regulatory framework studied as content: ISO 13297, ISO 10133, ABYC E-11 and Directive 2013/53/EU
- 1.7. Electrical risks on board: fire, electric shock, galvanic corrosion and safe working in damp conditions
- 1.8. Measuring tools: multimeter, clamp meter, megohmmeter and good measurement practice
Onboard generation: alternators and generator sets
- 2.1. Operating principle of the marine alternator, three-phase rectification and output curves by RPM
- 2.2. External multi-stage charge regulators, temperature sensors and alternator protection
- 2.3. Installing high-output second alternators, pulleys, V-belts and serpentine belts
- 2.4. Marine diesel generator sets: components, seawater cooling and wet exhaust
- 2.5. Sizing the generator for inductive loads, starting peaks and diversity factor
- 2.6. Variable-speed and DC generators: advantages in efficiency, fuel consumption and noise on board
- 2.7. Shore power: earthing, isolation transformers and galvanic isolators
- 2.8. Preventive maintenance of alternators and generators: service hours, filters, impellers and load tests
Batteries and energy storage systems
- 3.1. Battery chemistry: flooded lead-acid, AGM, gel, carbon and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)
- 3.2. Capacity, C-rate, depth of discharge, cycle life and the Peukert effect in sizing
- 3.3. Daily energy balance: inventory of loads, hours of use and target autonomy at anchor
- 3.4. Configuring banks in series and parallel, balanced connections and separating house and engine banks
- 3.5. Battery management systems (BMS): voltage, temperature and current protection and cell balancing
- 3.6. Location, ventilation, securing and protection of batteries according to ISO 10133 and ABYC E-10
- 3.7. Safety in lithium systems: thermal runaway, disconnecting loads and charging, and high breaking capacity fuses
- 3.8. Maintenance, winter storage, capacity tests and battery renewal criteria
Charging, conversion and marine inverters
- 4.1. Multi-stage battery chargers: bulk, absorption and float phases and profiles by chemistry
- 4.2. Pure sine wave inverters: continuous power, peak power and conversion efficiency
- 4.3. Combined inverter-chargers, power assist function and shore current limiting
- 4.4. DC-DC converters for charging lithium banks from the alternator and between different voltages
- 4.5. Charge splitters, voltage-sensitive relays (VSR) and diode isolators: technical comparison
- 4.6. Automatic transfer switches between shore, generator and inverter and backfeed prevention
- 4.7. Programming and setting up equipment with configuration software and VE.Bus or CAN buses
- 4.8. Integrating the charging chain: coordinating alternator, charger, solar and inverter as one system
DC and AC distribution, wiring and protection
- 5.1. DC and AC distribution panels: positive and negative busbars, isolators and circuit layout
- 5.2. Calculating cable sizes by current-carrying capacity and maximum voltage drop of 3% and 10%
- 5.3. Tinned marine cable, insulation, color codes and routing protected against chafe and moisture
- 5.4. Overcurrent protection: ANL and MRBF fuses, circuit breakers and their location according to ABYC E-11
- 5.5. Residual current devices, protective conductor and earthing in 230 V AC systems on board
- 5.6. Terminals, crimping, adhesive heat-shrink and tightening torques on high-current connections
- 5.7. Grounding and equipotential bonding, sacrificial anodes and control of galvanic corrosion
- 5.8. Checking the installation: continuity, insulation and polarity tests and documenting the final diagram
Renewable energy and hybridisation on board
- 6.1. Rigid and flexible monocrystalline solar panels, orientation, shading and real-world output at sea
- 6.2. PWM and MPPT solar controllers: selection, string wiring and calculating daily production
- 6.3. Marine wind generators: power curves, regulation, noise, vibration and mounting on a mast or arch
- 6.4. Towed and transom-mounted hydrogenerators: output underway and suitability for cruising sailing yachts
- 6.5. Methanol fuel cells as silent support for continuous loads at anchor
- 6.6. Electric and hybrid propulsion: electric motors, regeneration under sail and high-voltage banks
- 6.7. Hybridisation strategies to reduce generator hours, diesel consumption and emissions
- 6.8. Comparative study of cost-effectiveness and autonomy between solar, wind and generator configurations
Monitoring, diagnosis and electrical maintenance
- 7.1. Shunt-based battery monitors: state of charge, instantaneous consumption and history logging
- 7.2. NMEA 2000 and CAN bus networks for integrating energy data on multifunction displays
- 7.3. Digital switching and remote circuit control through smart distribution systems
- 7.4. Fault-finding methodology: voltage drops, leakage currents and parasitic loads
- 7.5. Infrared thermography applied to panels, connections and battery banks to detect hot spots
- 7.6. Detecting insulation faults and stray currents with a megohmmeter and reference electrode
- 7.7. Annual electrical maintenance plan: inspections, retightening, contact cleaning and records
- 7.8. Boat technical documentation: updated diagrams, circuit labeling and maintenance log
Integrative project: a yacht's energy system
- 8.1. Defining the case: 14-meter cruising yacht, sailing profile, crew and required autonomy
- 8.2. Drawing up the complete DC and AC energy balance with underway, at anchor and in port scenarios
- 8.3. Sizing the lithium house bank, the BMS and the independent starting battery
- 8.4. Selecting generation: secondary alternator, generator set, solar array and MPPT controllers
- 8.5. Designing conversion and distribution: inverter-charger, transfer switching, panels and protection
- 8.6. Calculating cable sizes and voltage drops and drawing the complete single-line diagram
- 8.7. Monitoring and preventive maintenance plan and estimated budget for equipment and installation
- 8.8. Writing the technical report and presenting the project, justifying each decision against the standards studied
Duration and format of the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
It is 800 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
Career opportunities after the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
Questions about the Professional Diploma in Onboard Energy Systems: Generation, Storage and Distribution
It is not essential. The first module reviews electrical quantities, basic laws and reading diagrams before moving on to the systems specific to boats.
Yes. The program devotes a full module to storage, with particular attention to LiFePO4, BMS, safety against thermal runaway and coexistence with conventional alternators.
ISO 13297 and ISO 10133 for AC and DC installations, ABYC E-11 and E-10 and Directive 2013/53/EU are studied as course content and applied to real wiring and protection cases.
You design the complete energy system of a cruising yacht: energy balance, battery bank, generation, conversion, distribution and single-line diagram, justifying each decision in a technical report.
Yes. Module 6 covers solar panels and MPPT controllers, wind and hydrogenerators, methanol fuel cells and hybrid strategies to reduce generator hours.
The professional diploma is taught online and comprises 800 hours of study across 8 modules of about 100 hours each, ending with an integrative project in which you apply what you have learned to a complete technical case.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at marine technicians, electricians who want to specialize in the marine sector and leisure boat owners or skippers who want to master their boat's energy installation.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer with a stable internet connection, an up-to-date browser and a camera for live sessions and project presentations.
- Admission: enrollment is open all year round; online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.