• kalleboo@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Neat - these things usually show up in the news as a render and then you never hear about it again. Being actually built full-scale is pretty cool.

    Sails obviously work, the two questions with an automated metal sail for cargo ships are cost and reliability. Making moving parts that don’t break down in high wind and salt water isn’t easy.

    • penguin@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      It just comes down to whether or not the fuel saved is worth more than the sail maintenance. Hopefully it is.

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Plus there’s that whole destroying the planet thing. Not sure if that’s included as a cost.

        Bunker fuel on cargo ships is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. The damage they do is immense.

        • ilikekeyboards@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          We should just tax bunker fuel up to a point where it’s a bit cheaper to run sails… Only if we had a planet wide universal accord on it

        • Etterra@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          The shareholders don’t care about the planet tomorrow when not caring today is profitable. That’s how the system works - by design.