Sail

An age of greener, more efficient shipping may be in the offing as a specially modified 43,000-tonne bulk freighter completes a six-month sea trial using a combination of diesel engines and a set of high-tech automatic sails to catch the wind.

Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), part of Britain's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, is looking to reduce fuel costs and emissions of its ships used to transport spent nuclear fuel from around the world by retrofitting them with high-tech sails.

After three years circling the Earth, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission has come to an end following a fiery reentry. The satellite was an important tech demo for solar sailing, which could eventually propel spacecraft to other stars.

As the shipping industry moves to decarbonize, huge sails could be making a comeback. The China Merchant Energy Shipping company (CMES) has taken delivery of a new supertanker, whose four large sails will cut down average fuel consumption by nearly 10%.

Ocean-capable solar-powered yachts are an appealing idea, though not exactly a new one. Malta's ZEN Yachts offers something extra though, claiming that its Zen50 carbon catamaran is the first production yacht to feature a wingsail.

French company Airseas has installed its first half-size automated Seawing kite to a cargo ship chartered by Airbus, and will commence six months of trials in January. The full-size kite is estimated to save up to 20 percent of fuel burn and emissions.

Beyond making tires for fast but inefficient cars, Michelin has its hand in more sustainable endeavors. Its Wing Sail Mobility project aims to increase efficiency in shipping with an inflatable sail that deploys and retracts on demand.

Sails for longboard skateboards do already exist, but they're pretty big – about the size of a sailboard sail. The SailStick, however, folds down for relatively easy carrying and storage when not in use.

This concept ship, due to sail in 2024, can carry 7,000 cars across the Atlantic in 12 days. It's some 50% slower on average than a comparable diesel ship, but burns next to no fuel thanks to its five colossal wing sails, saving money and emissions.

​Although there's nothing like cycling with a good tailwind, your bike and your body are only capable of catching a limited amount of that wind. The CycleWing was designed to help, acting as – you guessed it – a sail for your bike.

With its unique twin-hull design, the Wave Chaser wants to deliver an intriguing blend of windsurfing and sailing-style fun to the masses. Having launched a prototype last year, the company has further refined its unique idea and created the Wave Chaser 390 ZF.

With its Vindskip (or Windship), the Norwegian designers at Lade AS have come up with an intriguing concept for a partly wind-powered "hybrid" merchant ship.