Hard, Round, Tiltable Sails Add Wind Power To Energy Efficient Shipping
Norsepower has big plans to bring wind power back to the shipping industry, with an assist from the Magnus effect to save fuel and maximize energy efficiency.
The firm Norsepower Oy Ltd has been trying to bring wind power back to the maritime shipping industry, in the form of sails that look like oversized smokestacks. The idea hasn’t quite caught on like hotcakes, but that could change in short order. A new agreement with the Nefco, the Nordic Green Bank, will enable Norsepower to ramp up production and bring its energy efficient technology to the seven seas, including passenger ships as well as cargo ships.
Norsepower’s unusual take on wind power for modern maritime mobility is a far cry from the familiar sight of canvas sails flapping in the breeze. Even the high tech rigid sails of the yacht racing circuit look somewhat sail-like. Nevertheless, there it is. The company has developed a sail that looks like it should be belching smoke instead of deploying wind power.
If you’re wondering how it works, that’s a good question. Norsepower’s pipe-shaped Rotor Sail takes advantage of something called the Magnus effect, which refers to the pressure difference created when an object moves through air.
