Patent ID: 8197291

Claim:
A method for operating a vessel, wherein the method comprises: a. determining the most efficient power source from a plurality of power sources for operating the vessel, wherein the power sources include a battery bank and an AC power source, wherein determining the most efficient power source from a plurality of power sources for operating the vessel comprises: monitoring the amount of power needed for all loads; comparing the power needed for all loads against each individual power source; and comparing the result to the state of charge of a battery system and comparing load curves of an engine generator of the AC power source to an optimized load curve stored on a power management system; b. drawing power from the most efficient power source to operate the vessel; c. harvesting energy from electrical rotating sources; d. monitoring the battery bank; and e. charging the battery bank when a state of charge of the battery bank drops below a predetermined state of charge, wherein the charging is performed using the harvested energy, the AC power source, an external power source, or a combination thereof.