SkySails facts for kids

SkySails Group GmbH is a company based in Hamburg, Germany. They create special kite rigs that use wind power to help move large ships, yachts, and fishing boats. They also develop systems that make electricity from strong winds high up in the sky.

How SkySails Works

SkySails Group GmbH started in 2001 in Hamburg. It was founded by Stephan Wrage and Thomas Meyer.

The company has been good at saving fuel and reducing pollution from ships. However, they have faced some challenges. One problem is that the people who own the ships (who would buy the SkySails system) are often not the ones who pay for the fuel. The people who rent the ships pay for the fuel, but they might not rent the ship long enough to see the savings from new technology.

Also, there haven't been many rules about how much pollution ships can create, and fuel prices have sometimes been low. This made it harder for companies to invest in new, greener technology like SkySails.

In 2016, the original SkySails company had some financial difficulties. But a new company, SkySails Group GmbH, took over and kept the business going. They also started working on a new area: making electricity from high-altitude winds.

The company's main office is in Hamburg. The parts for their airborne wind energy systems are put together in Lower-Saxony, Germany.

Kite Systems for Ships

What is the Technology?

An exhibition kite. Production kites are much bigger, hundreds of square meters in size.

The SkySails system for ships uses a very large, automatically controlled foil kite. These kites can be hundreds of square meters in size. The system also includes electronics to control the kite and a way to pull the kite back in when it's not needed.

These kites are similar to the ones used in kitesurfing, but much, much bigger! They are designed to pull ships with a lot more power than traditional sails. Instead of many lines, only one main line connects the kite to the ship. This line also carries power and commands to a special control pod near the kite.

To launch and bring back the kite, there's a special mast or arm on the ship. This arm holds the kite, helps it inflate with air, and deflates it when it's stored away.

A ship with a SkySails system uses less fuel because the kite helps push it forward. This makes the ship a type of hybrid vehicle, using both its engine and wind power. Using these kites can save a lot of carbon emissions (pollution) every year.

Other companies also make similar kite technology for ships.

How it Has Been Used

The Maartje Theadora ship in port, showing the SkySails attachment arm on its front.

The Wessels Shipping Company was one of the first to test the SkySails system on their ship, the MV Micheal A., in 2007. They liked it so much that they ordered more systems for other ships.

The MS Beluga SkySails was the first ship built specifically to use this system. It was a large ship, about 132 meters long, and had a 160 square meter kite. It started its first journey in January 2008, sailing from Germany to Venezuela, then to the United States, and finally to Norway. During this trip, the kite helped the ship save about 10-15% on fuel, which meant saving $1,000 to $1,500 every day!

Over a year, ships using SkySails on windy routes can save about 5.5% on fuel.

In 2010, SkySails sold a system to be put on the Maartje Theadora, which was the first time their system was used on a fishing trawler. This ship is Germany's largest fishing vessel. The kite is expected to help it save fuel when traveling to fishing areas far away.

Even though these systems save fuel, reduce pollution, and cut shipping costs, they haven't been used by many ships yet.

Airborne Wind Energy Systems

SkySails Power GmbH was started in 2015. This part of the company focuses on creating systems that make electricity from wind high up in the sky. A test power plant in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, has been running since late 2019.

How the Technology Works

These systems use a special power kite that is controlled automatically. The wind makes the kite fly in a figure-eight pattern. As the kite flies higher, it pulls a long rope, called a tether, from a winch on the ground. This pulling force turns a generator inside the winch, which creates electricity.

When the tether reaches its longest point (up to 800 meters), the kite's autopilot steers it into a position where it doesn't pull much. Then, the generator acts like a motor and pulls the tether back in. The system repeats this process over and over, with the kite flying between 200 and 400 meters high. The electricity made by this system can be sent to the power grid, stored in batteries, or used right away.

"SkyPower100" Pilot Project

The airborne wind energy unit in Schleswig-Holstein is part of a research project called "SkyPower100." This project is supported by the German government and involves SkySails Power GmbH and other companies and a university. By running this system, they want to learn more about how to make these airborne wind energy systems bigger and better. They are also studying things like noise, how it affects birds, and air traffic safety.

See also

• Kite rig
• High altitude wind power
• Sailing ships