As we plunge into the future, old ideas are returning to the drawing boards. One example is the ingenious use of wind energy to move ships through the use of giant sails. It’s called “sail power”.
The Beluga Group has become the first shipping firm worldwide to sign a contract to furnish a modern diesel freighter with sail power—in this case Sky Sail: a super-sized kite which pulls the ship across the seas.
The MV Beluga SkySails, a cargo ship rigged up with a billowing 160-meter sail from SkySails, used approximately 20 percent less fuel than it would have without the sail during a two-month voyage. In other words, that’s 2.5 tons of fuel, or $1,000 a day, in operating costs. Beluga Shipping ultimately hopes to save $2,000 a day with this back to the future technology.
The shipping company says that the sail, by their calculation, could cut fuel consumption by 10 to 35 percent on ocean voyages, depending on the sea conditions, the size of the ship, the direction and speed of the winds and other factors. More testing will be conducted this year. SkySails will double the size of the sails and attach them to larger, heavier ships. A big question will be how well the economics—using a sail versus burning diesel–work.
Other companies working on reducing emissions and fuel consumptions on ships include Solar Sailor, which has created sails with integrated solar panels. A ferry with sails already operates in Sydney Harbor. San Francisco may get one as early as 2009.
Yep, wind power is back! I can see a big smile on Al Gore’s face. 
