Researcher to Discuss WaSP Technologies as Part of Shipping Industry's Potential to Move Away from Fossil Fuels

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday May 24, 2016

The Natural Propulsion Seminar today is set to hear from researcher Dr. Michael Traut, who will discuss the shipping industry's potential to move away from fossil fuels, and in particular what role Wind and Solar Power (WaSP) technologies can play in that transition.

Traut's research, undertaken at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, focuses on quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, and on wind power technology as a mitigation option.

While not everyone agrees that the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) Energy-Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) is driving forward vessel efficiency, legislation governing ship emissions is tightening, and in recent months and years operators have started to respond by choosing more sustainable energy sources to power their vessels.

"One promising option is wind - a renewable, and freely available energy source. But in order for a wind propulsion technology to succeed in shipping markets, there must be a viable economic proposition," says Traut.

The success for such solutions thus rests on the expected performance, and resultant bunker fuel savings, he adds.

Having matched various technologies with various ship types and sizes, and combining respective numerical models with wind data on key shipping lanes, potential bunker savings and other key parameters can be calculated for any given date and voyage speed.

Traut will present the initial findings in the context of a wider project to assess the potential and barriers to wind propulsion in shipping.

The seminar is being held in Wageningen, Netherlands, as part of Blue Week.