This is a pretty practical idea.  In combination with Hydrogen to gey you in and out of port, use the Trade Winds the way they did in the old days to make the long transoceanic passages.



While this works for tankers, not so sure about container ships.  They are piled up oon the deck higher than the boom of those sails.




https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/a-new-sail-design-is-pushing-the-maritime-industry-to-sustainability

A new sail design for cargo ships is propelling the maritime industry to a more sustainable future

RE

As we have discussed, generating Solar power is only part of the problem with converting to renewables, even in the electric power sector.  The transportation sector has even greater problems, but the Chinese are already up against the Grid and Storage bottleneck.

Given the fact the Chinese are producing EVs that people can actually AFFORD, all those EVs need to be charged up daily.  Which means the grid has to be able to support the additional load, since they don't pass out a free standing solar charging station for each car, they have big solar farms to tie into grid power.  Same model as over here, because centralizing power production is how they charge for it.  If everybody had their own setup, no revenue.

So now they have surplus panels which they would like to dump on the west, which would be a real boon for Doomsteaders since they would be able to get them at rock-bottom prices.  That can't be allowed of course, since besides not wanting people to be able to produce their own power, it would put local manufacturers of PV panels outta biz.  In a real Free Market capitalist system, that's what should happen.  But of course it's not a free market, so they'll slap on big tariffs to protect the local manufacturers, just like with the EVs.

The Chinese for their part have to turn their productive focus from the panels to Green Hydrogen production.  They can use this both for Storage and to bring down the cost of H to use as a transportation fuel.  Upgrading their grid to handle the increasing loads is as big or bigger a problem there as it is here.

Ideally in both places is that community level micro-grids powered by solar-wind should be built backed up by Green Hydrogen production for LDES and transportation fuel.  Again however, that is against the centralized model and monopolization of the Means of Production capitalists are so fond of.

In theory, if all this was done properly, people would have practically free power all the time, just the cost of maintenance and replacement of worn out parts.  Unlikely to happen either in China or here, though in China it stands a better chance.

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-solar-panel-supply-overcapacity-power-grid-demand-support-energy-2024-5

China made so many solar panels that even its own grid can't support all the energy produced

RE

Very novel design.  I wonder how much one of the 5Kw units costs?

A pdf with the specs and diagrams is available as well.  It looks like something a handy DIY Domer could build himself.

https://26011849.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/26011849/Aeromine%20Website/downloads/Aeromine%20cut%20sheet%20231004.pdf


Bladeless wind energy innovation aims to compete with rooftop solar

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/05/24/bladeless-wind-energy-innovation-aims-to-compete-with-rooftop-solar/

RE

QuoteIn theory, if all this was done properly, people would have practically free power all the time, just the cost of maintenance and replacement of worn out parts.  Unlikely to happen either in China or here, though in China it stands a better chance.

Your free power all the time would do no good because all the networks which dissipate fossil fuels still dissipate fossil fuels.  Free power all the time will dissipate all the stuff in the earth's crust as fast as matter can move.

Free power all the time is a highway to doom.  And no stroad with a yellow line down the center of it.  Free power all the time is multi-lane freeway with eighty mile an hour curves.  It's foot thick smooth concrete, and all one way on a sunny day.  No limits, go as fast as you can.  Fun fun fun on the autobahn.  Stop at the Diner and have some cherry pie.  The coffee is good.

Free Power uses all the stuff in the crust before the third rock goes around the sun ten times.  A lot of cherry pie in that crust.   Enough to make you sick.  Free energy without a brain is a curse.


As society has no brain.  Enjoy.

Agreed, like all the rest of the bacteria, insect and animal kingdoms, Homo Saps will keep eating and growing exponentially until they consume everything in their path.  Like ecoli in a Petri dish, locusts every 7 years or the reindeer on St. Matthews island.



RE

Another Sail design for shipping, on a cargo vessel.  14% reduction in emissions which is better than nothing, but in the photo there are no containers on the deck.  On a fully loaded ship, the containers would block the wing halfway up the vertical wings.  Plus, you're losing about 25-30% of the deck space to stack containers.  Not convinced yet with this solution.



https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/wind-power-shipping-pollution-cargo-ship-sails/

Winged cargo ship with revolutionary tech features completes impressive trial at sea: 'It's an exciting time'

RE