• Jummit@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    I guess people forget that ships originally where powered 100% by wind and manpower. Would love to see that coming back in some form, but seems like it’s just not profitable enough (yet).

    • JasSmith@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Given the mass of modern ships, wind doesn’t generate enough force to manoeuvre and thrust ships anywhere close to safety and efficiency. The math just doesn’t work. It would take a 5x5km kite (extremely rough estimate) with perfect wind conditions at all times. Maersk is trialing kite thrust augmentation right now, which is projected to reduce oil consumption, but not by a large margin.

      • Jummit@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        It’s obviously not as energy-efficient as burning fossil fuels, so it’s a hard sell. Honestly, I just want it to come back for the looks (and obviously the environmental health benefits).