Fossil fuel tankers transporting oil, gas, and coal across the seas play a vital role in the global Energy mix, but one Japanese business envisions a future in which similar vessels convey a considerably cleaner load. PowerX’s Power ARK vessels are meant to transport renewable Energy from far-off-shore wind turbines back to dry land, allowing them to take advantage of greater gusts and expanding their installation options.
PowerX’s overarching objective is to speed up the adoption of off-shore wind Energy by making it possible to transport it between any two points on the planet. Off-shore wind farms are becoming more popular as a source of renewable Energy, but they have restrictions in terms of where they can be built because the turbines must be anchored to the seabed. The world’s most powerful offshore wind turbine, the GE Haliade-X, for example, can only operate at depths of up to 60 metres (200 ft).
The Power ARK 100 is the first cab off the rank, a 100-meter-long (330-foot) trimaran that will be powered by electricity and have a range of 300 kilometres (186 miles), with biodiesel as a backup and the ability to travel further distances, maybe around the world.
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