Kite-powered ship crosses Atlantic, saves world--read all about it!

[Minx]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/worlds-first-kitepowered-ship-to-cross-atlantic/2008/01/23/1201024933354.html


ANY reduction in fuel consumption is good, but up to 35% for something as simple and cheap as a kite? God I hope this works and the idea really takes off. Cargo-ships make a significant contribution to the amount of CO2 released by humans.

From what I've gathered, the kite in question works a bit like a wing (kinda like a paraglider), rather than like a simple floating sail, which is why it can do some good no matter which way the wind's blowing.

[Ziggy Stardust]

This is the way to go. Cheap solutions which save the company money and reduces CO2 emissions.

Nice :up:

[tom_mai78101]

I think it's mostly powered by electricity from the thunderstorms in the middle of the ocean. But, anyway, flying type beats electric type in Anti-Pokemon.

[DecoyMilk]

I think it's mostly powered by electricity from the thunderstorms in the middle of the ocean. But, anyway, flying type beats electric type in Anti-Pokemon.

It's powered by wind. You know, like a KITE?

Poke..mon..?

Get out. PLEASE

[FireCrack]

Back to the age of sail?

[Ziggy Stardust]

Spacesailboats :heart:

[tom_mai78101]

Dear DecoyMilk,

I will explain my post above yours.

Kite: I meant how Ben Franklin uses it to experiment with lightning, and how he got struck by it.

The sail-boat itself uses kite to sail across the ocean. With lightning storms in the middle of the vast ocean, there has to be some storm surges around the boat itself. If a lightning struck the kite, the electricity would travel through the line into either a place to store electricity or somewhere safe. That's one of my hypothesis.

The Pokemon part: Flying beats electric, meaning that wind powers beats electric powers, which you would guess it: Wind energy beats electricity.

I used lots of metaphors for this post. Sorry, if you have any negative thoughts about the post.

Your reference guide,

tom_mai78101

[Lebanese Dragon]

Poke..mon..?


he can't make a poke-man joke.. c'mon...PLEASE

[Dreadnaught]

Why are they saying "kite"? Basically, the idea is to use a combination of sails and engines.

[DecoyMilk]

Dear DecoyMilk,

I will explain my post above yours.

Kite: I meant how Ben Franklin uses it to experiment with lightning, and how he got struck by it.

The sail-boat itself uses kite to sail across the ocean. With lightning storms in the middle of the vast ocean, there has to be some storm surges around the boat itself. If a lightning struck the kite, the electricity would travel through the line into either a place to store electricity or somewhere safe. That's one of my hypothesis.

The Pokemon part: Flying beats electric, meaning that wind powers beats electric powers, which you would guess it: Wind energy beats electricity.

I used lots of metaphors for this post. Sorry, if you have any negative thoughts about the post.

Your reference guide,

tom_mai78101

All I will say is that it's incredibly difficult and costly to 'store' electricity.

[Nessus]

You could store it mechanically. Of course you'd pay a pretty steep fine both during storing and retrieval, but well that's thermodynamics for you. Whether this'd be feasible or in any way sensible on a ship is another matter, but then, this is tom mai 37227343273248723498234984329843298 :noob:

[Draco]

I was expecting something more traditional looking:confused:

[Illusions]

Why are they saying "kite"? Basically, the idea is to use a combination of sails and engines.

Because a sail is attached to a mast and a kite is attached to a string... :noob:

[Minx]

Because it IS a kite. It's an aerofoil, like an airplane's wing, so it doesn't just work by being pushed by the wind so to speak :)

[bigjimdavis]

All I will say is that it's incredibly difficult and costly to 'store' electricity.Nah, all you need to do is tow a barge containing 10,000,000 rechargeable AA batteries, run about 50 miles of wire to connect them all and have a staff of about 100 to maintain them... problem solved. :lol-sign:

[Agamemnus]

:lol-sign:

Please do allow me to wipe that smirk off your e-face, smiley-boy. :mad::down:

Actually, your idea is pretty good... use rechargable lithium-ion batteries like the ones they do for cars now. The only problem is the explosion and very environment-unfriendly leak when a ship crashes into something. (like a swimming cat... :()

[Dreadnaught]

Because a sail is attached to a mast and a kite is attached to a string... :noob:
Sails are also attached to strings :o

[tycooner55]

Simple yet effective. I like it. :up:

[Illusions]

Sails are also attached to strings :o

Don't make me smack you with the dictionary... :noob:

[Dreadnaught]

Bring it. :downcast:

[Illusions]

Bring it. :downcast:

For reference: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/


3. a light frame covered with paper, cloth, or plastic, often provided with a stabilizing tail, and designed to be flown in the air at the end of a long string


1: an extent of fabric (as canvas) by means of which wind is used to propel a ship through water
2: an extent of fabric used in propelling a wind-driven vehicle (as an iceboat)
3: something that resembles a sail; especially : a streamlined conning tower on a submarine

Illustration of what they mean: http://www.m-w.com/art/dict/sail.htm

There...its been BROUGHT! :o

[EmperorNorton]

And the smackdown FTW? :o

I think it's mostly powered by electricity from the thunderstorms in the middle of the ocean.

Pray tell, what are the odds of a ship in the middle of the ocean going to run into a thunderstorm and harness the energy of a lightning strike without frying all of the circuitry?

[Dreadnaught]

For reference: http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/





There...its been BROUGHT! :o
Those definitions for sail (and others that I've found) all suggest that a sail is the part that catches the wind, not what it's mounted on. :o

[Ziggy Stardust]

Those definitions for sail (and others that I've found) all suggest that a sail is the part that catches the wind, not what it's mounted on. :oSails don't hover 600 ft above the boat doing 8's

Allow me to illustrate :)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/01/20/eakite120.xml
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/graphics/2008/01/20/eakite120big.jpg

nstead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySail is tied to the bow by a single line that also contains a cable linking it to a computer, which controls it. It acts like a child's kite, carving figure-of-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.

It's not just 'hanging' there.

[EmperorNorton]

Must get excellent mileage during strong hurricanes. :o

[tom_mai78101]

Oh well, that's a HUGE Gundam thing.

I bet during tropical storm seasons, all ship passengers would briefly knock the sale prices of the air ticket prices down to the Marina Trench. Maybe stock markets going frenzy with all those wind energy.

Anyway:

tom mai 37227343273248723498234984329843298

I can't believe I'm having PI with my name. :cool:

[Lor]

Spacesailboats :heart:

You've reminded me of an article i read quite some time ago regarding this. I wont post up the entire article as its rather long, so i'll post the link up:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2004/04-208.html

http://wiki.solarsails.info/index.php?title=Main_Page

Quite interesting. :)

[Minx]

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/10/71908

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/craven.html

http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/08/71574

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/the_hybrid_mini.php#perma

Maybe the free market can save us after all!!

[Dreadnaught]

Sails don't hover 600 ft above the boat doing 8's

Allow me to illustrate :)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/01/20/eakite120.xml
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/graphics/2008/01/20/eakite120big.jpg[/IMG]



It's not just 'hanging' there.

It doesn't have to just hang there to be a sail, as a sail is merely the fabric that catches the wind for the purpose of propulsion. :downcast:

[Nessus]

But if it is a sail, whose skin will they be using?

[tom_mai78101]

What type of skin? Animal, artificial, or chemical?