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I think part of it is needing the technology/implementation piece. Wind power was viable for centuries, but as ships got bigger and bigger, steam/petrol engines
by siruncledrew 8y ago
I think part of it is needing the technology/implementation piece. Wind power was viable for centuries, but as ships got bigger and bigger, steam/petrol engines became the standard in the shipping industry as traditional sails were no longer viable. Now that we are developing higher efficiency renewable energy technology, we have the opportunity to move full-circle back towards wind power again. However, since these current sails are only supplementing the ship's fuel costs by ~10%, there's still a long ways to go.
- jabl 8y ago> Wind power was viable for centuries, but as ships got bigger and bigger, steam/petrol engines became the standard in the shipping industry as traditional sails were no longer viable. My understanding is that the main driver in the sail->steam transition was that steam ships were usually faster (and had much less variability in their schedule), and required smaller crews. The glory of the "last windjammers" was largely enabled by very cheap labor from then-developing countries, allowing them to be competitive on a few select long distance routes.