Football Size Kite Powers German Heavy Freight Ship
A kite the size of a football field will provide most of the power for a German heavy freight ship set to launch in December. The Beluga shipping company that owns the 140-metre ‘Beluga’ said it expects the kites to decrease fuel consumption by up to 50 percent in optimal cases as well as a cutback of the emission of greenhouse gases on sea by 10 to 20 percent. Interestingly, the ship will be hauling windmills from Esbjerg, Denmark to Houston, Texas.
The company that makes the kite for the German transport, SkySails, has made kites for large yachts but is targeting commercial ships with new, larger kites. And it has the ambitious goal of equipping 1,500 ships with kites by 2015.
The funny thing is:
Wasn’t the wind the power source for most heavy ship ever since the beginning of Oceanic Navigation?
Where is the innovation? Oh… We’re now using kites
that’s cooler than sails…
However we’re just one step closer to where we should have never left. Diesel engines are ok; nevertheless they should have never been used “instead of” whereas it could have always been the auxiliary power whenever there was no wind available…
BTW; still looking forward to see if it ain’t all a football field sized joke
i need one on my car, not that it wouldn’t be a complete nuisance, yet i want to be that guy with the kite on my car.