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Science & Technology |
Shipping firm brings back days of sail with the aid of a giant kite |
2006-12-05 |
A shipping company is planning to go back to the future, by harnessing wind power to boost the propulsion of its ocean-going container ships. The "SkySail", a 160 square-metre kite tethered to a mast, has successfully undergone lengthy trial runs and now the shipowner, Beluga Shipping, of Bremen, Germany, is building the container vessel MV Beluga SkySails, equipped with one, to make its maiden voyage early next year. "I got the idea on a yacht a few years ago," Stephan Wrage, the inventor and founder of SkySails said. "I love flying kites and found sailing rather slow. I thought the enormous power in kites could somehow be utilised." The technology he has developed is a throwback to an earlier age of maritime travel when ships relied solely on wind, but it addresses a key concern of the modern age: climate change. |
Posted by:.com |
#8 There were actualy several largish Yatch/boats built with a windmill providing the direct power to the propeller. They were pretty good at sailing directly upwind (Normaly impossible) but otherwise simply not worth the effort. |
Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-12-05 20:13 |
#7 A spinnaker, arrr. Shouldn't we be talking like pirates on this thread ? Head into the wind, mates, lash the spinnaker, make yer course 265 Mister Cleck. Arrrr ! |
Posted by: wxjames 2006-12-05 17:47 |
#6 THis seems to act like a spinnaker, so yeah, pretty mucg down wind with a slight, maybe 20 degree sweet spot? |
Posted by: Closh Cleck7628 2006-12-05 16:01 |
#5 Wait for the cries of affecting the air currents the water birdies soar on whilst hunting to start momentarily. |
Posted by: Ranchin B. Hard 2006-12-05 14:35 |
#4 It seems to me that the best way to harness wind energy would be to mount vertical windmills on the deck to catch the wind from any direction, except when the ship is heading into the wind. In turn, the energy generated by the windmills could provide electrical power that wouldn't have to be generated by fuel, saving energy. |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-12-05 11:21 |
#3 When it comes to sailing, can a kite do anything other than "go large" (aka sail directly down wind)? Seems that this wouldn't be any help other than straight downwind which would seem to be seldom, no? (My sailing knowledge comes solely from Patrick O'Brien novels) |
Posted by: AlanC 2006-12-05 08:37 |
#2 I've experimented with kite-fishing, you could go after |
Posted by: Shipman 2006-12-05 08:21 |
#1 Watch out for giant trees. |
Posted by: ed 2006-12-05 00:37 |