Combined Solar Wind Technology for Cargo Ships and Marine Transportation

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Combined solar wind energy systems can reduce fuel costs for cargo ships

Solar power technology has gone through some pretty impressive changes in recent years and is available today in many different styles and configurations that can be used for a wide variety of applications. One of the more interesting uses for this technology is to help larger cargo ships reduce the amount of power they need from diesel and other carbon based fuels. By installing a very specialized version of thin solar panels in combination with large sails, many of these cargo ships can reduce their fuel costs by 20% - 40%.

These skysails are manufactured by a company called solar sailor and are custom fit to each ship they are used on for maximum efficiency. The system is based on a computer controlled sail system that has wafer thin, and flexible, solar cells mounted directly on the sails. These sails help to power the ship and reduce its fuel costs and the solar cells can generate additional power to supply the ships electrical needs. The alignment of the sails is controlled by a dedicated computer system to make sure they are always facing the exact right direction to gain the most advantage from the wind.

This great invention is already revolutionizing marine transportation and will hopefully become the future solution for en eco-friendly and cost-efficient way of shipbuilding of commercial vessels and private yachts.

Almost any ship can benefit from using this combined solar wind technology

Almost any ship can benefit from using these skysails and there are other systems designed to be used on smaller boats as well. There are several projects underway worldwide that use this system from solar sailor and these skysails are being used on boats that range in size from large cargo ships to smaller local ferries. The major advantage is that this wind power system can be added to any ship as a retrofit and are completely self-sufficient. By adding a solar sailor system to an existing diesel powered boat you can easily reduce its fuel costs immediately by using the sun and wind for free. Most estimates predict that the system will pay for itself in fuel savings in about 4 years, and then any additional power it generates is free.

The basis for the system is its huge sails that are mounted on a servo-controlled mast. These sails have a thin layer of solar cells mounted on their outward facing surface to collect power from the sun. These masts transmit wind power information to a control computer onboard the boat, and then this computer adjusts the mast position to optimize both wind and solar power generation. By making these small and constant adjustments to the position of the mast the system can generate far more power than a static system. Also, the addition of the solar panels means the system requires no power to run and can also help reduce the amount of electricity that needs to be generated by the ship.

The system is proving to be very popular with companies that transport goods in large cargo ships as even a small reduction in fuels costs can mean a larger profit. These skysails have the potential to revolutionize the way these larger ships are powered and stand as just one more example of how both wind and solar power can be used to save money on traditional fuel.