UK renewable energy group Drax has invested £1m ($1.3m) in UK wind tech firm Smart Green Shipping.
The investment will help Smart Green with the further development of a wing sail system which is being trialled onboard the UK-flagged 4,902-dwt nuclear waste carrier Pacific Grebe (built 2010).
Drax has also committed to installing a system on one of its chartered vessels following the successful conclusion of the sea trials.
Drax operates a power station near Selby in north-east England, which it has converted from using coal to biomass, importing wood pellets made of forestry waste.
Smart Green has built and trialled its FastRig system with funding from the Scottish and UK governments, the latter under its Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.
Japanese shipping heavyweight Mitsui OSK Lines is another investor in Smart Green.
Smart Green will also use the Drax investment in developing its SmartRoute software.
It is being designed to help vessel navigators optimise the wind sails in conjunction with voyage and weather routing.
Sea trials on the Pacific Grebe will conclude at the end of October, when the rig will be dismantled.
Then work to install the technology on a commercial biomass vessel can begin, according to Smart Green chief executive Di Gilpin.
“Smart Green Shipping shares a joint mission with Drax Group to use renewables to move renewables,” Gilpin said.
“The first commercial installation of FastRig is incredibly exciting and an important milestone as we derisk the transition to wind for the whole shipping ecosystem.”
Wind technologies are a nascent solution in shipping, allowing vessels to harness the wind and therefore reduce engine power, fuel use and CO2 emissions.
They are being seen as a retrofit solution to help vessels comply with new energy efficiency regulations and as a newbuild option where hull designs can be optimised and clean fuels used.
