Feasibility of using solar assisted rigid wind–sail as a power saving device on boats

Abstract

The usage of alternative energy beside fossil fuel in maritime industry is necessary due to the fluctuating fuel cost. In order to reduce the operational cost by reducing the fuel consumption, some ships are equipped with solar-wind assisted devices. The lower oils consumption in ships could reduce environmental pollutions and increase cruising range. This study investigates the feasibility of using solar assisted rigid wind–sail as a power saving device on University Malaysia Terengganu’s (UMT) research boat. The attachment of solar assisted rigid wind-sail device may affect the performance, operation and stability of the boat. Generally, the performance of boat will increase when there are additional energies. Thus, the operational cost of the boat may decrease due to lower oil usage. Attempts were made to study the feasibility of using solar assisted rigid wind-sail in technical aspects including stability and performance as well as operational and economical aspects. The results of the study shown that the application of solar assisted rigid wind-sail to UMT research boat reduced the annual cost of operation from USD 20390 to USD 17815.9. It can also save up to 20% of power consumption. Further, the attachment of solar assisted rigid wind-sail to UMT research boat does not affect the stability of the boat and the stability of boat still meet the IMO requirement. Therefore, it can be summarized that the solar assisted rigid windsail has a high potential as an alternative to the conventional fossil fuel ships in the future.