• zaphod@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    8 months ago

    The 12 tons are a best case and they represent 37% of this ship’s fuel consumption, that would be ~32.5 tons a day, on average it saved 3.3 tons, ~10%.

    • Paragone@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      8 months ago

      Which makes the break-even point for such wingsails, which cost one hell of alot more than a few tonnes of fuel did … rather far-away/long-term, doesn’t it?


      There was also a system using huge parachute-kite things, on carbon-nanotube-ropes, fired up into the sky with rocket-assist, and the things could apparently pull the ship, quite effectively…

      … the service-subscription the ship was supposed to pay-for gave them the optimal route for fuel-savings vs time-to-get-there…

      here, it was sorta like this, but the kite-sail looked different, and I’m pretty-sure they were saying something about nanotube cable for the kite, and it wasn’t just a concept, it was actually-working…

      https://marinersgalaxy.com/giant-kite-pulls-ship-across-atlantic/


      I seem to remember that at the beginning of covid, some shipping companies just shortened the bulbs on their hulls, to optimize for a slower cruising-speed, and saved money that way…

      again, where’s the break-even on it