I get the whole “this isnt new” sentiment but we cant just swap right back to 100% wind power without developing NEW wind propulsion methods. We need to either match the speed of engine powered ships or increase efficiency (like this has).
Unless you want to go back to ships taking many more months or years to cross the ocean like they used to. Being snarky about ships using wind again is completely the wrong attitude to have if we want to make this work.
Probably just need to use biofuels and or very large battery systems. Generating enough energy on a vessel of that size probably isn’t feasible. Could maybe switch to nuclear instead that seems risky
The long term solution is probably a combination of technologies - hydrogen and solar to power some propellers cleanly, batteries to regulate the solar and wind power, new and improved “sails” like this, channeling energy from waves, new types of coating that significantly reduce friction and increase gliding factor, new much lighter containers to reduce total weight, etc…
Next they should replace the diesel engines with bigass electric motors, and put solar panels over every top surface of the vessel that they can, and even possibly on the sail-wings too. Wind and solar powered shipping would be a good combo since there are plenty of both out on the seas. Charge the boat batteries at port as needed, cruise while collecting solar power etc
I’m sure they could put temporary solar panels on the containers. It would be more work but would it save enough on fuel to make it worth it? Who knows.
I have a 4’x10’ flatbottomed boat. Of the 40sq./ft. I cover 45% in solar to make a modest trolling motor go 6-7mph. Weight with myself, wife, battery, cells, misc. gear: 300lbs.
Solar ain’t gonna get it on a cargo ship weighing 165,000 tons and a couple of football fields long.
Sails cannot be folded away, they can be rolled in, this however doesn’t change the hight of the mast they are on. Also the weight/drag ratio seems to be better.
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