EnergySail Commercialisation Planned Within Five Years

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday October 30, 2012

Eco Marine Power Co. Ltd. (EMP) of Japan plans to begin sea trials of its wind and solar ship power and propulsion system next year and hopes to commercialise the system within five years, Director Greg Atkinson told the South China Morning Post.

"We're trying to get wind back on ships and prove to the shipping companies that it's safe and cost-effective," he said.

EMP introduced the system, based on its rigid sail technology known as EnergySail, in August.

Now, the company says it has collaborated with maritime equipment suppliers Corvus Energy, KEI System, and Sekigahara Seisakusho to prepare for prototype testing this year.

EMP plans to test a complete prototype of its Aquarius MRE System, which uses an integrated system of EnergySails, solar panels, and energy storage modules, within the year and then move on to sea trials next year.

The company is also working on other products based on the same technology, including a low-cost version for developing nations, hybrid systems, and offshore energy plants.

"The technology is portable and any shipbuilding nation or emerging economy has the resources to build this," Atkinson says.

EMP says Aquarius can be configured to work on different vessels and will provide annual fuel savings of about 10 percent for Capesize bulkers and about 40 percent of specialized vessels.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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