|
One of these
clever men is an engineer called
Stephan Wrage, managing director
of Skysails GmbH & Co. KG.
Skysails has just
launched their first official
cargo ship equipped with the
Skysails towing kite propulsion
system. On 22nd January 2008,
it set sail from Bremerhaven,
Germany, on it's maiden voyage
to Venezuela.
The simplified
explanation of this system is
basically a huge,
computer-controlled kite
streamed from a telescopic
mast. This kite harnesses wind
power to give the equivalent of
up to 5000 kW (around 6800
horsepower) and in turn this
free energy enables the ship to
sail at full speed while the
engine only runs at half power.
By using this
towing kite system, the ship's
fuel costs are expected to be
reduced by about 10-35% - the
real figure won't be known until
she docks in Venezuela. And of
course, less fuel burned = less
harmful emissions!
You'll get a
much better idea of what
Skysails does from these
skysails videos
If you'd like
to be kept informed of these
events as they happen, you are
welcome to subscribe to our blog
Hotpress. |
