Sustainability
WindWings: Massive Cargo Ship Wings Helps Pave Path to Net-Zero
WindWings: Another Reason Why Sustainability May Depend on Both Ancient Wisdom and New Technology
The future of cargo transportation by sea can soon be revolutionized by the creation of a wind propulsion technology that has been called WindWings. The invention consists of two 131-foot wings retrofitted in sea vessels that act as propellants for cargo vessels and reduce the amount of fuel that cargo ships use for sea transport by 30%, also greatly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Cargill Ocean Transportation vessel, the Pyxis Ocean, set sail this year with the help of these wings. Developed by BAR Technologies and constructed with the help of Yara Maritime Technologies and the Mitsubishi Corporation, the intention is to use ancient wind technology together with new machinery to reduce carbon emissions from one of the most fuel-reliant industries on the planet – global shipping.
For thousands of years, people—not just pirates—have used the wind to their advantage. WindWings embraces a technology of the pre-industrial era to reverse the effects of climate change; while increasingly advancing technology like Artificial Intelligence will help us to implement this older technology on a global scale (more on that to come).
The Challenges Faced by Cargo Vessels
Over 80% of all international trade in 2021 was conducted by sea. The global reliance on cargo vessels to import and export goods burns massive amounts of fossil fuels, escalating the rate of climate change. This is further enhanced by the demand placed on shipping by sea, as sea is the most cost-friendly means of transport.
One of the challenges shipping industries have faced has been switching to low-carbon fuel alternatives because they have been more costly than conventional fuel energy in the past. However, as it currently stands, both the levelized cost of wind and solar energy have become much less expensive than fuel power. It then comes as no surprise that the advent of WindWings comes at a time like this.
Wind energy plays a significant role in the path to achieving net zero by 2050, and is greatly underutilized in the cargo shipping industry. Turning this vision into a reality urged Cargill to contact BAR Technologies, an innovative maritime engineering company. To design the sails, BAR Technologies also solicited the help of major manufacturers Yara Maritime Technologies and the Mitsubishi Corporation.
How Do WindWings Work?
Each wing is 134 ft tall and is comprised of 3 parts: a central wing that rotates around an axis fitted to the ship in order to catch the direction of the wind, and 2 smaller wings on either side. Each part can move independently of the other to maximize the distribution of the wind and increase travel efficiency.
As a result, the 2 Wings fitted to the Pyxis Ocean ship are poised to increase the cargo vessel’s fuel efficiency by as much as 30%. If the maiden voyage of the Pyxis Ocean goes well, we may see further distribution of the wings to the entire shipping industry.
What is the Future of WindWings?
Many in the industry are hopeful that this technology can be used to retrofit existing cargo vessels, as both BAR Technologies and Yara Marine Technologies are already planning to build hundreds of WindWings over the next few years.
The implementation of these wings is even more meaningful when considering that over half of the largest cargo vessels in operation around the world are nearly a decade old.
Wedding ancient technology to our modern machinery is proving to be an effective way of stopping the devastating effects of climate change. The pioneering efforts of Cargill Ocean Transportation and their Pyxis Ocean ship now have the power to inspire the innovations of many more industries beyond that of transportation.
IC Inspiration
Sometimes the most innovative step forward is taken by looking to the past, as entrepreneur Mira Kulkarni proved by using ancient Ayurvedic recipes to create her successful line of skincare products. Kulkarni credits much of her success to her willingness to learn from ancient wisdom.
Other times, the past invariably makes its way into the future when using new technology for sustainable efforts. For over a decade now, ancient trees have been actively cloned and re-planted because their past genetics act as stronger carbon sequesters than newer trees.
Some problems are too large to tackle without the help of current technology. The influencers behind the TeamSeas trash-eating robot are a perfect example of what can be accomplished when AI robotics is applied to the problem of pollution.
Yet even something as advanced as this robot requires fossil fuel to operate. But what if the robot could be retrofitted to use WindWings while removing plastic from our water? The future appears much brighter when we consider how a combination of old wisdom and new technology can be used to create a more sustainable planet.
The potential success of a technology like WindWings is so inspirational because it demonstrates how we can learn to live with our planet rather than dominate it. In the future, the global market may need to learn to adapt to something as fundamental as the planet’s prevailing trade winds.
So, the next time somebody asks you where you think we’re going, it would be all too accurate to say “Wherever the wind takes us.”