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An Electric Cruise Ship | Earth Wise

July 31, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The shipping industry accounts for about 3% of global manmade greenhouse gas emissions. In 2018, the International Maritime Organization, the UN body that regulates global shipping, set a target to cut the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2050.

This goal has led to a variety of designs for eco-friendly ships, including car carriers, superyachts, and cargo ships with retractable sails. But most of the designs still rely to at least some extent on engines that run on fossil fuels.

The Norwegian cruise ship company Hurtigruten has announced that it will build a zero-emissions electric cruise ship with retractable sails covered in solar panels. The ship is expected to set sail in 2030. Hurtigruten is a relatively small company, with a fleet of eight ships, each with a capacity of 500 passengers. But the company hopes that its innovative plan will inspire the entire maritime industry.

The ship will predominantly run off of electric motors powered by 60 megawatt batteries that can be charged in port with renewable energy. To reduce reliance on the battery, when it is windy, three retractable sails will rise out of the deck, reaching a maximum height of 164 feet. The sails will be covered in solar panels that will generate energy to top off the batteries while sailing.

The ship will have 270 cabins to hold 500 passengers and 99 crew members. The streamlined shape of the ship will result in less air resistance to further reduce energy use.

Hurtigruten already has a hybrid, battery-supported cruise ship and is currently in the process of converting its entire fleet to hybrid battery power.

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An electric cruise ship with gigantic solar sails is set to launch in 2030

Photo, posted January 15, 2023, courtesy of Bernard Spragg via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Wildfires And Giant Sequoias

October 28, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Two massive California wildfires that erupted during a lightning storm on September 9 have continued to threaten groves of giant sequoia trees in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. As of the beginning of October, flames from the KNP Complex fire had burned in or passed through 11 sequoia groves, including the famed Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park.

Hundreds of firefighters battled to protect some of the most renowned trees, including the 275-foot-tall General Sherman tree, widely considered to be the largest tree on earth by overall volume. That tree and many near it are over 2,000 years old.

Firefighters wrapped the base of the General Sherman and several other trees with fire-resistant blankets to protect them from the intense heat of approaching fires. Sequoias are actually well-adapted to fires because of their thick bark that protects them from heat. But intense fires like the KNP Complex and Windy fires are more than the trees can handle.

As of the beginning of October, both fires continue to blaze, but thanks to the efforts of firefighters, most of the giant sequoias have survived. One massive tree in the Giant Forest recently toppled over after burning for several days, but most are still standing and haven’t suffered serious damage.

As of early October, the two fires had blackened over 140,000 acres across national parks, national forests, the Tule River Indian Reservation, and local communities. These two are among multiple wildfires burning in California this past summer. The largest – the Dixie fire – has burned nearly a million acres as of early October. In total, over 2.5 million acres have already burned in California this year.

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KNP Complex fire triggers flurry of new evacuations, as flames threaten more giant sequoia trees

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Hundreds of California firefighters battle to protect ancient sequoia groves from raging wildfires – with world’s largest tree General Sherman wrapped in aluminum foil blanket

Photo, posted November 5, 2017, courtesy of Ken Lund via Flickr.

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Scottish Wind Power

September 5, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Scotland is a windy country. Most wind turbines in the European Union produce electricity at an average of 25% of their maximum rated power as a result of the variability of wind resources. The west and northern coasts of Scotland have an average capacity of 31% or more. Some wind farms in Scotland have achieved more than 50% capacity over the course of a year.

As of the end of last year, Scotland had more than 8 GW of installed wind power capacity. This included 7.8 GW of onshore wind and 623 MW of offshore wind generators. Estimates are that more than 11 GW of onshore wind could be installed in Scotland. The total offshore potential is far greater than that but would be much more expensive. There are multiple large-scale wind farms proposed or under construction in Scotland.

All of this growth in wind power has led to some remarkable results. During the first half of 2019, wind turbines in Scotland produced enough electricity to power every home in the country twice over. Scottish wind farms generated nearly 10 million megawatt-hours between January and June, which is equal to the consumption of 4.5 million homes during that period. That is enough to take care of all of Scotland’s homes plus a large portion of northern England’s.

Scotland has set a target of generating half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and decarbonizing its energy system almost entirely by 2050. The recent performance of its wind power installations shows that the country might be able to reach its goal much sooner than anticipated.

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Scotland’s Wind Farms Generate Enough Electricity to Power Nearly 4.5 Million Homes

Photo, posted March 27, 2017, courtesy of Ian Dick via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.