Ship Emissions Got You Down? Look Up At SkySails
When Magellan first set out to circumnavigate the globe, he had the stars to guide him and the wind to propel him. While Magellan was killed before he circled the globe, his second-in-command Juan Sebastian Elcano finished the journey after 3 years and 1 month. For the next three hundred years, world trade and travel was accomplished solely through wind power, until the advent of the steam engine, and subsequently the internal combustion engine. But one company hopes to reignite a second Age of Sail with a simple yet effective design that will cut down on shipping costs, toxic emissions, and fuel consumption. Enter the SkySail.
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Little more than a giant towing kite attached to a telescoping mast via a synthetic rope, the SkySail claims fuel savings of between 10-35% depending on use. The SkySail hovers between 100 and 300 meters, where stronger and more stable winds are prevalent. A single SkySail can produce the equivalent propulsion of 600-1000 kw (about 800 to 1340 horsepower) under the right conditions. As the old saying goes, keep it simple, stupid, and that is exactly what the SkySail does. The wind is powerful, abundant, and best of all, free. While it isn’t likely to replace engine propulsion anytime soon, the SkySail system can be used in conjunction with the engine on a lower setting, while allowing the ship to maintain a higher rate of speed.
The SkySail is also much safer than standard mast-based sails, as there is a negligible amount of heeling (leaning caused by wind direction) compared to conventional sails. SkySail systems are currently being developed for cargo ships, cruise ships, fishing trawlers, and even sports yachts. The system is designed to be able to be retro-fitted to existing ships, saving money compared to purchasing expensive emissions scrubbing equipment, which can run well above $60,000 per 1,300 horsepower. Less fuel burned means lower costs, which means cleaner, higher quality fuels can be used and thus eliminating more harmful emissions. This is the kind of innovation that needs to be encouraged more often, offering simple solutions to global problems. Most of the investment thus far has come from private interests, though government subsidies could really put this technology on the right track. There are currently several test vessels testing the SkySail and so far the results are promising.
Imagine tethering a bunch of these to the biggest container ships in the world. While realistically, I can’t imagine this entirely replacing the 109,000 horsepower engines, its a big step in the right direction if it all comes to frution, and innovation begets innovation.
Source: SkySail
The SkySail is a good idea, but will only work if the wind happens to be blowing close to the same direction you’d like to go. The “old fashioned” sails, because of the way they’re mounted and adjustable, can help the ship go in almost any direction regardless of wind direction (in fact, zig-zagging into the wind results in the fastest ship speed).
What’s wrong with Nuclear Powered Merchant shipping? You don’t see the Navy’s of the world running around under sail.
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/2009/05/big-polluters-one-massive-container.html
@Tim: Wrong, the SkySails system works for courses as little as 50 degrees off the wind, just like ordinary sails, but has 5-20x the power density (power per area). These modern traction kites are airfoils, not spinnakers. Oh, and beating into the wind does not give a sailcraft the highest real speed, only the highest apparent windspeed.
@Paul: What’s wrong with it? Somali pirates selling fuel rods to the highest bidder, that’s what. And don’t be surprised if you see Navy ships with SkySails in a few years: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/05/navy_fuel_053109w/
Go government subsidies!
If it won’t fly without them it shouldn’t fly with them. Same for solar PV.
Its great Russ is against government subsidies, if we cut the subsidies to oil (running wars & dictatorships, planning bias) and coal (GHG reduction ‘incentives’, enviro reg emasculation, land rehab evasion..) they’d quickly go the way of lead pipes!
Actually it’s Juan Sebastian Elcano
It was not “Juan Sebastian ELANCO”!!! His name was “Juan Sebastian ELCANO”!
He was such an important figure in Spain’s naval history, that the Spanish Navy’s School Ship -where future Navy Officers train- is actually named after him.
The first poster TC might benefit by brushing up on his knowledge of sailing and basic physics. The fastest point of sail is typically (no absolutes here) a beam reach where the wind is approximately 90degrees to the direction of travel. I see no reason why a ship cannot benefit is some way by having a a kitesail between +90 and -90 degrees around the bow (pointy end for TC). The forces generated have both forward and sideward components. As long as the sideward isn’t excessive it may be channeled into forward force by altering course downwind. Sailing 15% additional distance may be worth it if schedules can be kept and savings outweigh the costs of the extra distance.
And for #3 Russ, What are your thoughts regarding gov’t subsidies for those smoothy asphalty things we call roads? For or against?
“What’s wrong with Nuclear Powered Merchant shipping? You don’t see the Navy’s of the world running around under sail.”
I love the efficiency of nuclear power, but, the industry has work to do to prove it safe, right?
Further, according to the last stat I’ve read, 1-2 commercial ships sink per week. Not quite the safety record of the navy, I imagine. If we had a way of locating and retrieving the reactors of sunken ships, I suppose that might help?
Subsidies, whether they be for farm products, oil, coal, ethanol, solar, wind or whatever are losers.
Liam - Don’t confuse subsidies with the other stuff you included such as wars & regulation - different ball game.
Alan - Roads are a government function and not a subsidy.
To me, the governments function is to support R&D up to and including pilot plants. I do not know of any government running a business in an intelligent manner though I suppose there has been a few cases where it worked out OK, out of a million.
The US congress is trying to make an even bigger mess out of GM than even GM & the unions managed to.