Low C for the High Seas Flettner rotor power contribution on a route Brazil to UK

Abstract

Climate change presents shipping with the need to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. Low carbon technology is considered a crucial element in rising to this challenge, demonstrated at the political level by regulation on the energy efficiency of new-builds. This paper analyses wind power as one category of technology in order to contribute to the body of knowledge that is needed to ascertain the potential for decarbonising shipping. Specifically, it combines a numerical model of a Flettner rotor with wind data from the UK Met Office’s Unified Model to assess the potential wind power contribution along a route from Tubarao (Brazil) to Grimsby (UK). Applying the results to a typical bulk carrier equipped with three Flettner rotors making a round voyage on the route suggests possible fuel savings of 16%. More generally, the replicable results will allow for a deeper and, in turn, more realistic examination of the prospects for wind power. In doing so, the paper seeks to push the debate forward: by exploring wind power technology and by building accessible knowledge that may be key to a global sector meeting a global challenge.