Nearly 90 percent of world trade is carried out by sea. In order to make this more climate-neutral, Liebherr Components AG in Biberach has developed a new technology. It depends on wind energy.
The environment should be less burdensome in the future – and at the same time the fuel should be saved: this is the goal of the new Liebherr technology. There is enough wind on the high seas, according to Benjamin Schmid of Liebherr in Biberach. So it makes sense to use this for clean charging.
“Wind-assisted propulsion is the key word here.”
The idea is, for example on cargo ships, to support the traditional propulsion systems of ships with diesel engines using special sails. The company Liebherr has developed technical components for this so that the sails, up to 30 meters in height, can be perfectly positioned in the wind.
In order to use the wind optimally, the sails must be able to turn in the right direction. Liebherr’s electric tuning system is used for this, the company reports.
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That way, fuel costs can be reduced by up to 30 percent without ships losing speed, Schmid says.
When developing components, Liebherr was able to draw on decades of offshore crane production experience and offshore wind turbine knowledge. Methods for calculating forces on the high seas are comparable. At the end of the year, the first sails of the future will be installed on the ships.
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