Friday, November 9, 2012

Green cargo ships: Sails that harness the wind and sun

The newest design in greening cargo ships uses sails that harness the wind and the sun to lower costs and harmful ship emissions.

The EnergySail design by Eco Ma of Japan uses rigid sails that actually second as solar panels, meant to function as a second source of power for the ship's main engines. A control system would automatically position the sails and panels to catch the wind and sun. Trials of the device at sea could start as early as 2013.

The company says the devices could be fitted on all types of vessels, from large bulk ore carriers to patrol vessels. Oil tankers would realize up to 20 percent fuel savings, they said. EnergySail could deliver fuel savings of 40 percent or more depending on the size of vessel, when combined with enhanced hull design, fuel cell technology, waste heat recovery, and an advanced electrical propulsion system, Eco Marine Power said.

The solar sails would work when the ship is docked and could be lowered if needed.

"We have started testing in a lab in Osaka and we will bring in other components of the system over the next few months," says Greg Atkinson of Eco Marine Power. "At the moment, we are focused on the control system and command interface testing."

For more of the Cnet.com story: news.cnet.com

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