World shipping is a major source of airborne pollution and the movement of seaborne trade across the world requires vast amounts of bunker oil and other fossil fuels to be consumed by ships of all sizes. But as more focus is placed on reducing CO2 emissions and living in a more sustainable way, it is clear that changes will have to be made to the propulsion and power systems on-board modern vessels.
Wind power and solar energy are already popular sources of clean renewable energy on land, so Eco Marine Power is working with a number of development partners on an international project to develop a system that will allow the ships of the future to be powered in a greener and more eco-friendly way by using these limitless sources of energy. The solution being developed has been called 'Aquarius'.
The Aquarius Wind and Solar Power System or Marine Renewable Energy System (MRE) is not simply some rigid sails and solar panels mounted on a ship. Modern ocean going ships such as bulk carriers and oil tankers are not yachts and will never perform like yachts, so the Aquarius MRE System is designed to take that into account. It is also designed to work alongside other fuel saving and emission reduction technologies.
The system can be incorporated into existing ship designs as shown above or be integrated into future designs such as the Aquarius Eco Ship concept which is also being developed by Eco Marine Power.
The Aquarius MRE System (Patent Pending) is an advanced integrated system of rigid sails, solar panels & energy storage modules that will allow ships to tap into renewable energy at sea by harnessing the power provided by the wind and sun. The array of rigid sails will be automatically positioned to best suit the prevailing weather conditions and can be lowered and stored when not in use or in bad weather. They could even be used when a ship is at anchor or in harbour.
The Aquarius MRE System will significantly reduce a ships fuel consumption and noxious gas emissions. In addition ship owners and operators will be able to reduce the CO2 footprint of their fleet and employ the solution on a variety of ships and vessels.
This innovative system is designed for ships that operate at sea and is not a solution that has been designed for ferries or other small vessels and simply scaled up. Ships that operate at sea differ in design from small vessels that operate on bays and on harbours, therefore a wind & solar 
power system for ocean going ships has to be one that is designed for that purpose. The Aquarius MRE System is that type of solution.
The Aquarius development project is being undertaken along with KEI System of Osaka, Japan & Corvus Energy of Vancouver, Canada.
Although this cutting-edge system is being initially designed for large ships, much of the technology being developed will also be suitable for smaller vessels such as coastal freighters, passenger ferries, tourist boats and Unmanned Surface Vessels. (USV's) A study is also being conducted to determine if it would be feasible to use the system on naval and government vessel such as patrol ships.
The Aquarius MRE System will require little attention from the ships crew, will be relatively easy to install, require little ongoing maintenance and offer an attractive ROI (Return on Investment) for shipping companies and ship owners.
Wherever possible the materials used to build the rigid sails (known as an EnergySail) and other system components will be recyclable.
A prototype version of the system will be ready for testing from mid 2012.
You can read more about the thinking behind 'Aquarius' in this article: A Marine Renewable Energy Solution for Modern Ships.
The Aquarius MRE System by Eco Marine Power is an innovative approach to using wind and solar power together on ships and the technology will help make the world shipping greener and cleaner in the years ahead.
Aquarius MRE System & EnergySail are trademarks of Eco Marine Power Co. Ltd.
See also: Aquarius System FAQ Dawning of the Age of Aquarius Aquarius Eco Ship
