From ecomagination engines burning landfill gas to “treasure hunts” inside our factories that seek out energy waste, we’ve been presenting a steady drumbeat of GE fuel efficiency stories. This time, we’re turning to our colleagues at Beluga Shipping — a GE preferred shipper — and their amazing use of “kite sails” to reduce fuel costs and help the environment. Who knew that in the 21st century, GE’s advanced engines would literally be sailing to their ports of call?
Chartered by GE’s Project Logistics team, the Beluga SkySails cargo vessel — which has the world’s first practical towing kite propulsion system for commercial shipping — set sail in early February from Albany, New York. It was loaded with 250 to 300 tons of power generating equipment that was manufactured at GE’s plant in Schenectady, NY and was was destined for Samsun, Turkey.
In open water, the cargo ship releases a large towing kite attached to its bow. The kite resembles a parasail and floats high above the ship to help pull it through the water. At present, SkySails can be attached to cargo vessels with an effective load of between eight and 16 tons — SkySails with an effective load of 32 tons are planned for 2012.
Lower costs can be realized through less fuel consumption — and the fuel savings depend on the prevailing wind conditions. A ship’s average fuel costs can be reduced by 10 to 35 percent annually, but under optimal wind conditions up to 50 percent can be cut. On average, using the SkySails system leads to a 39 percent savings in freight costs.
Reduced fuel consumption leads to less emissions — and implementing wide-scale use of kite propulsion systems could potentially reduce millions of tons of CO2, NOX, and SO2 from the atmosphere. Noted GE’s Randy Charboneau: “This is one way we (GE) are leveraging the technology of our suppliers worldwide to help with (environmental) efforts.”
Does this mean commercial shipping is going back to the days of huge rigs and oversized galleons? Not quite. The technology is still in its exploratory phase, so use of SkySails on a large scale is still a few years away. Even so, increased operating costs and the rising price of oil are pushing the shipping industry to further utilize this new technology — with future projects planning to use kites with a larger sail surface, leading to better efficiencies.
* Visit the SkySails website
* Read background materials about the SkySails system
* Learn about the European Union’s wind propulsion project
* Learn more about Beluga Group in their online magazine
* Learn more about GE Energy in these GE Reports stories
* Read about our energy “treasure hunts”
To watch a video about the Beluga system in use, visit Beluga’s press page and click on “Multimedia.”