Launched earlier this year, the Wind Challenger project aims to prove that creating hybrid ships that employ both sails and engines could reduce annual fuel consumption of the shipping industry by about 30 percent on average.

Image via University of Tokyo/DiginfoTV

A more eccentric plan to green up the cargo industry came from Skysails, based in Hamburg. The company has developed a patented  system which uses a kite to propel large shipping vessels across the sea. The wind-harnessing propulsion system, in theory, could end up reducing fuel consumption by an impressive 35%.

The system involves a monstrous 3,444 square foot kite is attached, via rope, to a control pod that electronically manipulates the kite to maximize potential wind benefits. The kite itself flies anywhere from 300 to 1,300 feet in the air, whipping around in a figure 8 formation. Minnesota based shipping firm Cargill plan to install one of the kites on a vessel next year.

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