Here is a great example of blending the old technology with the new.
The Chinese Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) has partnered up with an Australian firm called Solar Sailor to see if it will be feasible to retrofit cargo ships with large sails that are covered with photovoltaic cells.
Now, why didn't I think of that?
It's a genius move, really, to take the age-old sail and use it to not only push your ship via windpower, but also to generate electricity to help run onboard equipment.
The Solar Sail has been getting lots of good press lately: CNN, Discovery Channel, it was even featured on NBC's Today Show. The sails have been powering a Sydney Harbour-based cruise ship for the last seven years, and the company signed contracts with cruise lines operating in San Francisco and New York City. Solar Sailor's US-based subsidiary is under contract with the US Navy to develop unmanned surface vehicles.
In Australia, the Solar Sails were first given notice as a way to transport water to drought-stricken regions around the country like Sydney in a less-costly manner than building a pipeline or a canal. This eco-friendlier solution came from the former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, who also happened to be the Chairman of Solar Sail Holdings. Despite that convenient situation, the Solar Sail seems to be the real deal...at least in protected harbors.
Enter COSCO. Solar Sails will be fitted to a tanker and a bulk carrier, both huge ships that carry high volumes of liquid or dry goods. COSCO will then determine if the sails would be cost-effective enough to go fleet-wide (COSCO owns up to 117 ships). Solar Sail claims that the sails could cut a ship's energy needs by 20 to 40 percent. The PV cells could generate up to five percent of the ship's electrical needs. Solar Sail's CEO, Dr. Robert Dane (he's a medical doctor, oddly enough), says the costs saved could pay for the sails in four years.
Of course, the open ocean is a much different place than Sydney Harbour, so whether or not the Solar Sails will prove their worth on transoceanic voyages remains to be seen. The shipping industry is notoriously dirty, accounting for 4.5% of global carbon emissions, which is a half percent more than all of the world's refineries, and the shipping industry is booming.
"Together with the forecast expansion in world trade, the scientists estimate shipping emissions will grow 30% to 1.45bn tonnes within 12 years. This would make shipping responsible for nearly 6% of global emissions by 2020. - Guardian"
So, however small a difference solar-cell-covered sails could make in the shipping industry, it may be a good start.
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