Wind Power - Will it Make a Comeback ?

[laxaholic]

Hey everyone,
Just a basic question.

Will wind power make a comeback? Will sailing ships no longer be a thing of the past?

Let's hear what everyone thinks.

[barnakiel]

It will not.

The first thing is it has not gone anywhere, sailing boats are still here, just steam arrived and now there are more players in the field. But sails did not 'drop out'.

The other thing is changes go in one direction only. This planet was green once. Look around and you know where things are going.

b.

[KiteRider]

There are multiple companies already manufacturing and selling kite systems for freighters. They assist the engine but don't replace it yet.

Kites make more sense than traditional rigs as they take up almost no space and don't involve any standing rigging that could get in the way on a working ship.

[David M]

There are more effective ways of making a ship more efficient, like slowing down.

The way the shipping industry works is that those with the faster ships and those that can keep a schedule get paid more money. A sailing ship could do neither very well and still compete.

There are also economies of scale and ships are as big as many ports can accommodate their deep drafts and bridge clearances.

Also, the longer a ship takes to cross, the more the company pays out in wages and depreciation costs for a given amount of cargo carried. A quicker run means more cargo can be carried in a given amount of time which means fixed costs are lower relative to tonnage carried. Time is money.

Kites have been flown from the decks of ships but on a percentage basis compared to overall costs, the cost savings is very minimal.

The faster a ship travels, the more aft the apparent wind shifts, which means for a fast container ship the time when the wind is aft of the beam is very minimal compared to a relatively slow tanker. The faster the ship needs to be, the less the idea works.

I'm all for the idea and sailing ships would be great if time and meeting a schedule did not mean money.

[atoll]

larger,nuclear powered vessels will predominate in the future

[Butler]

Pure fantasy but just imagine if we humans could use all of our intellegence and skill to slow ourselves down a bit now as we face the possible/likely collapse of our oceans within this century .
Could you imagine the amount of wonderful work that would come out of a fleet of Maltese Falcon style dynarig freighters reliant on human hands rather than advanced electronics... just because we can does it mean we have to just keep racing along with technology. Not a luddite nor interested in those brutal sailing days past. Imaging the possibility of changing course... were good enough for it. Silly, yeah, but then...

[David_Old_Jersey]

Chinese have already decided that the future is in..........Trains.

and probably not wind powered........

[atoll]

many governments are kept in power by wind and hot air...........

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Butler

Pure fantasy but just imagine if we humans could use all of our intellegence and skill to slow ourselves down a bit now as we face the possible/likely collapse of our oceans within this century .
Could you imagine the amount of wonderful work that would come out of a fleet of Maltese Falcon style dynarig freighters reliant on human hands rather than advanced electronics... just because we can does it mean we have to just keep racing along with technology. Not a luddite nor interested in those brutal sailing days past. Imaging the possibility of changing course... were good enough for it. Silly, yeah, but then...

I remember when we heard all this new electronic stuff was going to make our lives not only easier but that we would have so much more time to do other things we wanted because of it. But when the alter is money...

[Sam Plan B]

"But when the alter is miney...". I agree. And imagine the money that would be available for new commerce that would be carried by new alternatives to mechanical propultion if everyone's taxes were cut in half.

[Lexam]

I think if these type of ideas get off the ground then yes wind will make a come back. Fuel for these big ships is not getting cheaper. The technology for the Paracasyachts according to the site will be licensed for Freighters and Cruise ships. BTW if anyone wants to get me the Aeroyacht for my birthday (It comes with an airplane) that would be awesome thanks!

Aeroyacht 110 - Yachts Models - Luxury yachts, catamaran and motor boat shipyard - Sunreef Yachts

Paracas Yachts -

[ozskipper]

No, we wont get clean shipping until fusion power is available. It clean, its has very low immisions. The only problem is that science doesnt know how to create it yet.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by KiteRider

There are multiple companies already manufacturing and selling kite systems for freighters. They assist the engine but don't replace it yet.

Kites make more sense than traditional rigs as they take up almost no space and don't involve any standing rigging that could get in the way on a working ship.

First of all - they are flown high up where there is more wind and less disturbance. But I bet they will not become the thing.

b.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by David M

There are more effective ways of making a ship more efficient, like slowing down.(...)

In terms of physics, but the industry is driven by, well, 'financial efficiency'.

Like e.g. when we slow down we may need more ships.

b.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by David M

The faster a ship travels, the more aft the apparent wind shifts

That's not right. The apparent wind shifts forward, not aft. I'm pretty sure that's what you meant to say, since the rest of your post assumed the correct apparent wind.

Fabbian