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Everyday, new
engineers, inventors and
entrepreneurs are coming into
the spotlight with their
exciting prototypes for
harnessing alternative natural
energy.
Our aim is to
keep you informed of these
events as and when they occur.
Wind Power
23rd January 2008
One of these
gentlemen is engineer 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!
If you'd like
to be kept informed of these
events as they happen, you are
welcome to subscribe to our blog
Hotpress.
You'll get a
much better idea of this from
these
skysails videos
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