What will they dream up next? In what must surely rank among the most radical innovations to emerge from the clean-technology movement, the blog CleanTechnica informs us that a British firm has come up with an idea for a cargo ship that burns no fossil fuels. Instead, it runs primarily on wind.
Yes, this "futuristic" vessel, as CleanTechnica describes it, would sport giant vertical beams outfitted with humongous cloth wind-catching devices, known as "sails." It must be said that these elaborate mechanisms look rather ungainly, and skeptics might wonder whether an energy source as unreliable as the breeze could ever actually power something as bulky as a seafaring craft.
But just imagine if it worked! "If it proves successful," the blog enthuses, "the new B9 cargo ship could usher in a new era of fossil fuel-free technology at a critical time for the shipping industry."
The whole notion sounded almost too ingenious to be true. So I called up the good folks at B9 Energy Group to make sure this wasn't some kind of a hoax.
Not at all, managing director David Surplus assured me. Applying wind power to ships might sound far-fetched today, but if oil prices keep rising, it might well make economic sense in the not-too-distant future.
Indeed, B9's project has already attracted interest from several potential clients - mainly shippers of another futuristic energy technology, called biomass, or "wood." It turns out that several European countries, including the United Kingdom, are looking into pellets made from dead trees as a carbon-neutral source of electricity. This would require importing large amounts of the stuff from tree-rich locales like Russia, the Carolinas and Brazil. Transporting it via wind-powered ships would keep the process environmentally friendly.
For the time being, these wind vessels will likely be limited to fairly short runs along particularly windy corridors, like between the Baltic states and Britain. Even so, Surplus admits there will be times when the wind just doesn't cooperate. On those occasions, the ship will turn to biofuel-powered engines.
For anyone still dubious, B9's website insists that "the key elements of the design solution are all readily available today and have been more than adequately proven." Surplus told me that's a reference to American venture capitalist Tom Perkins' famous high-tech yacht The Maltese Falcon, whose rigid-sail design has proven seaworthy in cross-Atlantic voyages. As with that yacht, the B9 ship's sails will be electronically controlled, requiring no rigging or manual operation to respond to changes in the wind.
Convinced at last that the concept might be viable, I was no longer surprised to learn from CleanTechnica that other companies besides B9 are already on the same tack. "If B9 wants to produce the world's first fleet of commercially viable wind powered cargo ships, it better get a move on," the story urges.
In fact, if Surplus himself is to be trusted, it had better get a time machine on. Believe it or not, Surplus informed me that the idea of wind-powered navigation has been around for centuries. Numerous civilizations, including the Ancient Sumerians, have employed it in various forms. Who knew?
Local News
Slate: British Firm Explores Idea of Wind-Powered Ship
- Local News
-
-
Republicans to vote on new trustee
Republicans from Washington Township will meet today to vote on a new township trustee.
Fifteen committee chairmen from Washington Township will vote at 8:45 a.m. today to fill the position following the death of Albert “Pete” Showalter, who died on April 13. -
North, Owens 'Play' hard
North Elementary School celebrated its field day Friday with games, ice cream, inflatable fun houses and Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders.
-
B-R to graduate 41
Barr-Reeve High School will hold its 48th commencement exercises on May 25, in the high school gymnasium at 2 p.m. Again this year, the graduation will be an afternoon affair.
-
Police Report
CITY REPORT
Thursday
1:03 a.m. - Karen Hulsey, of 511 S. Meridian St. reported a subject possibly hiding the bushes behind her residence. She stated she didn’t see anyone, but could hear coughing. -
School board approves new handbooks
Members of the Washington Community Schools Board approved the 2013- 2014 school handbooks. Elementary, junior high and high school student handbooks will now be more streamlined with one another. One major change to the handbooks will be a stricter attendance policy for students. Currently, students in the school district can have 10 unexcused absences per semester.
-
Unchained Gang roars into park
The Daviess County Unchained Gang will be hosting its 11th annual motorcycle show and swap meet Saturday at Eastside Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
-
DECA to sponsor dodgeball tourney
Members of the Washington High School DECA Chapter will be hosting a DECA Dodgeball Tournament on Tuesday in the Hatchet House beginning at 6:30 p.m.
-
Area Briefs
Road paving in Washington
The Indiana Department of Transportation is advising motorists to be aware of temporary lane restrictions on Bus. 50 in Washington. Beginning on or after Monday, May 20, crews will be spot paving throughout the city. Work will be accomplished one lane at a time and utilize flag persons to control traffic through the work zones. Work activities are scheduled to take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day with all paving operations anticipated to be complete by May 24. Inclement weather will cancel the work operation for the day.
-
Police Report
CITY REPORT
7:56 p.m. - A complainant on E. Nat'l Hwy. reported there was a truck popped open playing very loud music. -
Police Report
CITY REPORT
Wednesday
2:19 p.m. - Dave Waters, 200 1/2 SE 7th St., reported that someone had broken into his storage building and broke the windows out of the vehicles stored there. Waters also said that someone had smashed in the roofs on many of the vehicles. Extra patrol was requested. - More Local News Headlines
-
Republicans to vote on new trustee
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
