Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2024

Alice Rush

Here’s a piece from Fossbytes, the same people who claim that the costs of maintaining EVs is greater than that of gas- and diesel-powered vehicles.

A cargo ship named the Pyxis Ocean equipped with two 123-feet-tall WindWing sails embarked on a journey from China to Brazil last August, aiming to test the efficacy of the wind-powered technology.

After six months of sailing worldwide, Cargill, the ship’s owner, unveiled the results. On average, the Pyxis Ocean saved 3.3 tons of fuel daily.

It showed potential savings exceeding 12 tons per day in favorable weather conditions, resulting in a 14% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

WindWing’s makers suggest even greater fuel savings with three sails. Although promising, the challenge remains in adapting ports to accommodate such vessels. Cargill is actively engaging with ports globally to address this concern.

A couple of points:

As the wind industry has known for more than a century, the amount of power derived from capturing some of the kinetic energy from moving air is proportional to the area of the blades or sails on which the wind is incident. From the picture above, does it seem possible that huge, ocean-going cargo ships can be powered effectively from these two tiny sails?

It’s interesting that this is an artist’s rendering, rather than a photograph. It is significant that such devices do fact, in fact, exist?

There is no doubt that this will save on fuel. The ships the Vikings piloted around the open seas required no fuel either. If we don’t care how long it takes to ship our goods across the Pacific, perhaps this is a good idea. But of course, we care a great deal about modern supply change logistics.

A Return to Wind-Sailing Cargo Vessels?

Related Topics:EVs Fossbytes Wind-Sailing

Up Next

Masdar Acquires Stake in Terra-Gen, RWE Stock Price Drops, Maersk and Edison Chouest Partner in Offshore Installs

Don't Miss

The Enigmatic Enigma: Unveiling the Mysteries of Dark Matter

Alice Rush

Renewable Energy

The Next Chapter in American Disgrace

Published

14 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Alice Rush

Every day, our nation’s face is pushed a little bit further into the toilet.

The Next Chapter in American Disgrace

Renewable Energy

Depicting Lady Liberty

Published

18 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Alice Rush

Gotta love the creativity, and certainly the sentiment, that is captured by the artist whose work we see here.

In reality, however, Lady Liberty should be depicted sitting with slumped shoulders, tears rolling down her cheeks.

There has never been a moment anything like the present in U.S. history. A sociopathic criminal in the White House, bolstered by traitors in both Congress and the Supreme Court.

Depicting Lady Liberty

Renewable Energy

Brian Cox, PhD

Published

19 hours ago

July 7, 2026

Alice Rush

It’s always encouraging to see the emergence of another brilliant astrophysicist into our culture — not that his message here is particularly encouraging.