Can Beluga turn global shipping green?

A breeze of clean air from the past?

There is a great article on the Popular Mechanic's website about Beluga's Skysailing effort to turn the global shipping industry into a much greener industry. Believe it or not, Beluga believes large sails are the key.

While the sails are not a primary source of power, they can still reduce fuel consumption by as much as 35 percent. Since the global shipping industry causes a massive amount of sulfur dioxide pollution, any reduction is very welcome and very needed.

Unfortunately, skepticism is already mounting.

“It looks like a pain in the ass to handle,” Jonathan Waldron, a retired Coast Guard commander and partner at the consulting firm Blank Rome Maritime. “The industry has been willing to try new technologies, but a development that results in [vessels] not staying on schedule is not going to work.”

And since wind power is not as easy to control as an engine, skysailing might be hard to adopt. Still, it's an interesting idea that is more than worth the effort.