Dock workers at the port of Rotterdam in The Netherlands could be forgiven for doing a double-take when a yacht christened the Ecolution sets sail from the harbour next autumn, given that the 25-metre-long vessel will be flying a giant kite that will convert high-altitude winds into enough electrical current to power the ship’s propulsion systems.
Eye-catching as this pleasure craft will doubtless be, the kite-and-winch–driven concept behind it — known as a laddermill — is being developed by the University of Delft’s Aerospace for Sustainable Engineering and Technology (Asset) department for bigger things: namely, high-volume, renewable, onshore electricity generation.
Asset’s
