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Cargill Wants to Add Giant Wind Energy Sails to Cargo Ships to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Cargill, the world’s largest agricultural commodities trader, plans to harness wind energy by installing enormous sails on part of its fleet of cargo ships to reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Shipping is responsible for about 90% of global trade and nearly 3% of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.
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Cargill Promises to Reduce Carbon Emissions Using Wind Energy on Ships
The industry has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050, compared to 2008 levels. How it will achieve this and which new fuel technologies it will use to replace traditional oil-based fuels on ships is still in question.
Cargill wants to add – in an untested idea – solid wing sails to harness wind energy, up to 45 meters (148 feet), attached to the decks of specially designed cargo ships that the trader and its partners say can reduce fuel use by up to 30%. Minnesota-based Cargill has about 600 chartered ships at any given time.
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The new wind energy sail venture, which could have MR2 tankers each equipped with three wings in the water by 2022, is being completed in partnership with BAR Technologies, a British company spun off from Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) – the namesake British sailing team of the Olympic medalist and America’s Cup winner. No specific financial details have been disclosed.
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