Shipping is a growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, with the global shipping industry producing a staggering one billion tons of emissions annually. In Germany, one company has designed an ingenious system to help large ships become more energy efficient and they’re doing it with kites. SkySails developed what it describes as a “kite wind propulsion” system for large cargo ships. Founded in 2001, SkySails employs around 40 people and is based in Hamburg, a major port city connect to the North Sea via the Elbe River. Stephan Wrange, CEO and co-founder of SkySails said the idea is quite simple: “With kites you can gain much more thrust than with any other wind-harnessing device.” It costs between $1.7 and $2.8 million to install the kite-wind propulsion system, but one kilowatt hour of their wind power costs only 6¢ for ships to use, about half as much as one kilowatt hour from the main engine. In addition, SkySails says its technology is able to generate 25 times more energy per square foot than conventional sail propulsion systems — the equivalent of 2,000 kilowatts of propulsion power in good wind conditions. Looking forward, Wrage is confident that the kite-propulsion system is a viable proposition for the shipping industry.
