this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2024
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Winged cargo ship saves three tonnes of fuel per day on first voyage (newatlas.com)
submitted 7 months ago by mac to c/tech
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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I'm sure they could put temporary solar panels on the containers. It would be more work but would it save enough on fuel to make it worth it? Who knows.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It would be more work but would it save enough on fuel to make it worth it? Who knows.

Even without doing the math, I feel pretty confident saying that the answer is "no."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

The amount of fuel these ships consume to propel themselves is astronomical. Petroleum fuel has a waaaayy higher energy density than lithium batteries. Around 46 MJ/kg vs 6 MJ/kg...it's simply not practical.

Nuclear ships on the other hand...

Edit: This isnt really a fair comparison because of the efficiency differences between ICEs and electric motors but it does show the energy storage inefficiency per kg of current battery storage technologies. Not sure if there's a better comparison metric to use...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

maybe a roll-out top made of those flexible panels that is extended when ship is loaded. I guess securing it though with wind and stuff might be a problem