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MARITIME RENEWABLES – WIND, WIN, WIN

Smart Green Shipping Alliance targets commercially valuable global market opportunity arising from deploying free, abundant renewable energy – wind - in the maritime sector on small and medium sized ships

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In small bulkers and general cargoes alone approx 25 million tonnes of fuel is burnt in ‘high wind’ sea areas costing the industry $billions every year

Small to medium sized ships are under considerable commercial pressure from fuel price volatility due to the high proportion of their costs related to fuel. 81% of the global fleet fall in to this size category which is dominated by older, less efficient vessels. In many cases these ship types are operating on routes where wind energy could successfully be harnessed by proven 21st century automated sail systems augmenting traditional propulsion solutions. Wind energy can halve fuel used, immediately reducing operating costs and, perhaps more critically, ensuring cost stability and better future business planning for operators. Wind is free, an abundantly available maritime energy source that cannot be claimed by other industry sectors – a crucial consideration as clean energy supplies are stretched increasingly thinly across a growing global community. Wind power gives operators partial autonomy from traditional bunker supply arrangements allowing fuel costs to be hedged.