Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SIDEWIND (Horizontal wind turbines for maritime transport ships)
Reporting period: 2019-12-01 to 2020-03-31
As the maritime industry marches through the era of stringent environmental regulations and increasing fuel costs, shipping companies are spending considerable amount of resources to search for viable green alternatives which not only help in satisfying the environmental norms but also powering the ships to reduce operation costs.
Maritime transport is the backbone of world trade, being fundamental to sustaining economic growth and spreading prosperity. Sidewind enables shipping companies to exploit the wind energy that is wasted around the ship and convert it into electricity for its propulsion, achieving savings in fuel consumption and contaminant emissions of up to 36%.
The completion of Phase 1 aims at validating the technical, commercial and financial feasibility of the Sidewind project. Specific objectives include: (i) scheduling a technical work plan (technology optimization, on-field tests and scale-up production), (ii) analysis of key partnerships, market overview and IP strategy, and (iii) costs revision and income/profit projections.
Maritime transport is the backbone of world trade, being fundamental to sustaining economic growth and spreading prosperity. Sidewind enables shipping companies to exploit the wind energy that is wasted around the ship and convert it into electricity for its propulsion, achieving savings in fuel consumption and contaminant emissions of up to 36%.
The completion of Phase 1 aims at validating the technical, commercial and financial feasibility of the Sidewind project. Specific objectives include: (i) scheduling a technical work plan (technology optimization, on-field tests and scale-up production), (ii) analysis of key partnerships, market overview and IP strategy, and (iii) costs revision and income/profit projections.
Technical upgrades have been defined and scheduled, including testing and validation stages, and a pre-industrialization route. Commercial strategy has been confirmed based on the needs of the maritime transport sector, the regulatory framework, and the absence of both direct competitors and conflicts with IPR. We performed a risk assessment to make sure that the most relevant risks are identified and set mitigation actions. We also valued participation in dissemination and communication activities as strategies to attract new clients and partners. Price policy and cost revision were established, resulting in a business opportunity of 5-year estimated profitability in the range 4.8-18.1 M€ and 35 new employees.
Sidewind is a pioneer wind power system for ships based on the Plug & Play installation of helicoidal turbines close-fitting into a standard container framework. Unlike conventional windmills, Sidewind units do not need to be oriented, withstand turbulence and can start spinning with low speed winds (ideal for the open sea). Contrary to other alternatives, vessel’s owners do not need to carry out infrastructural changes to implement Sidewind, while obtaining a low deck usage, a high flexibility and multiple layouts. The result is a versatile and highly efficient solution that can answer the global maritime transport challenges of reducing contaminant emissions and fuel operating costs.