Call it a hybrid for the high seas. In a matter of weeks, Beluga Shipping, a German freight company, plans the maiden voyage of a 460-foot cargo ship that will be urged along its merry voyage by a towing kite from a start-up called SkySails (Web site in German). The kite is more than 5,000 square meters, connected to the ship via a large towing rope and managed by a fully automated control pod. The system even includes route-optimization software designed to maximize the wind. SkySail spokespeople say that the system is more efficient than traditional sail boats because the kite flies higher, where air currents are stronger and steadier. Can it pull the vessel by wind alone? Certainly not. But it can reduce diesel fuel consumption by as much as 50 percent and emissions by as much as 10 to 35 percent.
Source: Green Car Congress
