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Maersk to Test First Wind Rotor on a Containership (maritime-executive.com)
submitted 1 day ago by to c/technology@slrpnk.net
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[–] 9 points 1 day ago

Hope it goes well, decarbonising freight could be big.

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    [–] 2 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

    Uh, it has no mention at all at the properties of the turbine. All it says is the exterior dimensions of the thing, 5m diameter. No mention of optimal wind speed, or power output.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 hour ago

    It's a Magnus effect sail. It's the force that makes a spinning ball curve. They've made the ball huge (5m diameter) and stretched it into a cylinder. So a crosswind meets the spinning tower and an orthogonal force, forward, is produced. Less fluttery than a sail, but for it to work you need a reliable crosswind. They've therefore been installed on ferries which run north-south in the Baltic Sea.

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  • [–] 2 points 20 hours ago (1 child)

    I don't think it really outputs power, it operates more like a sail. It looks like a cylinder on the front of the ship. It says it can function in winds at or below 80mph.

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  • [–] 1 point 19 hours ago (1 child)

    You're right it's supposed to work like a sail. I'm very sceptical because it says it can save up to 30% fuel. No chance any sail with that footprint can save that much fuel. At least with electrical generators you can benefit from wind in any direction at any time, even when anchored.

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