this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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A cargo ship’s ‘WindWing’ sails saved it up to 12 tons of fuel per day (www.popsci.com)
submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago (1 children)

This is fascinating. I got questions.

What's the ROI? Is it a no-brainer to install these things for the cost savings? If not, and if they prove out, governments should look at making them mandatory and providing partial subsidies. Or, maybe an easy loan to jump start adoption?

This video answered some more questions. They do indeed fold down for rough weather and clearance and appear to rotate 360°.

I'm assuming they're computer controlled for max efficiency?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB7cLkSVmJA

Not seeing any downsides here.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The biggest downside I could see is the sails getting in the way of cranes.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 7 months ago (1 children)

According to that video, they fold out of the way. I'm not sure if they currently fold on the real ones. The article mentions:

the 125-feet of height added by WindWings could potentially complicate docking in many locations. According to Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation business, they’re already working to address such issues.

Which seems to imply they don't. Their solution of modifying ports to accommodate the sails might mean the folding aspect wasn't viable?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Not sure about this one example but working in the industry and following the development of wing sails the ones I've seen will fold one way or the other. This example in the article is probably a prototype or even experimental implementation to test the efficency.

Examples of folding sails in development: https://www.theoceanbird.com/oceanbird-wing-560/

https://terntank.com/2023/02/sail-into-the-future/

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

You wouldn't need them in port so make them easy to disconnect or compact into a smaller space.