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Cargo ship uses giant kite to propel it across the ocean
Moving gigantic cargo ships across oceans is no small feat, requiring a whole lot of energy to keep those propellers turning and the ships heading on the right course. There is one form of energy that's plentiful out at sea, however: wind. Yep, there's always wind blowing at sea, and now some cargo ships are now harnessing that power to move ships.
Yes, the first trans-Atlantic trip by a cargo ship using kites to help propel it just wrapped up successfully. The giant kite helped save 20% of the ships energy, which will the shipping company up to $2,000 a day in fuel costs once an even bigger kite is hooked up on the next trip. It's such a simple, basic idea, it's a wonder it took this long to happen.
Via Treehugger
By Vashnyra at 6:52 PM ON 03/19/08
Oh, my! Next thing you know they'll install really tall poles on the ships with these crossbeam things and big sheets of canvas... I know! Let's call them "sails"!!
By F at 5:34 PM ON 03/20/08
Several years ago, there were ships fitted with experimental sails made of solid materials, mounted to computer-controlled posts that would swivel in the optimum directions.
While the kite idea may be beneficial, it is not, as Vashnyra points out, all that original.
By Traveler at 8:04 PM ON 03/20/08
Can't wait to hear the whine coming from the envirowhakos the first time a whale is found wraped up in a lost kite!
By UnofficialSkier at 3:55 PM ON 03/23/08
By DarkMantle at 11:14 PM ON 03/23/08
Next thing you know, a bird will get stuck in the sail, I mean Kite, and die. Then the environmentalist will be against that. Just like how they're against wind farms for killing birds.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-04-windmills-usat_x.htm
By FeO3 at 4:36 PM ON 06/28/09
Who cares whether it's original or not. Humans have a tendency to discard prior solutions in favor of other ones - regardless of whether prior solutions were good solutions. If the old stuff works and isn't incompatible with the new stuff, why not either continue using them or bring them back to supplement the new solutions?
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FeO3:
Who cares whether it's original or not. Humans have a tendency to discard prior solutions in favor of other ones - ...More »