WAPS get a boost with AWESOME project
Neoline’s RoRo vessel, the Neoliner Origin, is being used to demonstrate how WAPS can be optimised as early as the design phase
(Source: Neonline
Investments in Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems are likely to become easier to assess in advance with a new Horizon Europe project. The Advanced Wind Energy System Optimisation & Monitoring for Efficiency (AWESOME) initiative will provide validated tools, standardised methodologies and real performance data to reduce uncertainty and facilitate more informed decisions.
Funded by Horizon Europe, the project is led by Kongsberg Maritime and supported by 14 European partners. They include industrial partners, clusters, and research organisations. The aim is to tackle technical, operational, and regulatory barriers that still limit WAPS take-up.
“Wind-assisted propulsion is one of the most attractive pathways to compliant, cost-effective shipping,” declared Kjerstin Kleyne Braaten, Kongsberg Maritime’s SVP Emerging Solutions. “We believe AWESOME represents a major step forward in scaling this technology.”
A key element of the project will be the use of two full-scale demonstrators – one retrofit and one newbuilding. A retrofit aboard an Odfjell chemical tanker will demonstrate how WAPS can be integrated into existing vessels. Meanwhile, Neoline’s large RoRo, Neoliner Origin, will be used to show how WAPS can be optimised from the design stage.
