One thing is certain: the price of wind won't change anytime soon. In an unpredictable world, it is reassuring to know how much 'free fuel' will be available. In 2019 SGS won an award from the European Space Agency to develop digital tools, in a project we call TradeWind to predict and further optimise the use of wind for ships.

With our TradeWind analysis tool we can quantify the value of using the wind on any ship at any time of the year. In the future, TradeWind will quantify other maritime renewables.

Our work to date:

• Will accelerate the uptake of maritime renewables needed to measure and optimise wind / other renewables through a trustworthy smart data analysis tool.

• Quantifies the value of wind, and in future versions other maritime renewables, on any ship on any route.

TRADEWIND IS DESIGNED TO MAKE IT EASY TO PREDICT FUEL SAVINGS AND GHG REDUCTIONS

TradeWind uses Americas Cup weather-routing technologies, combined with big data from The Met Office on wind, waves and currents, and comparative performance data from conventional ships operating on same routes.

A Sales Tool

TradeWind provides trustworthy fuel cost / emission saving performance framework based on decades of hindcast weather data to act as the foundation for commercial agreements; this replicates a Met Office system that was critical to stimulating onshore wind energy systems.

A Design Tool

TradeWind enables cost-effective design optimisation; analysis on cost benefits of various design options can be undertaken by combining computational fluid dynamics (where the ship performance is modelled and tested in a computer) and TradeWind weather routing to predict how a design solution is likely to perform.

A Routing Tool

TradeWind allows provides operational optimisation once when ships are in use. by It uses weather forecast data to predict when the propulsion can be provided by the wind and to save fuel, whilst still arriving at the destination port on schedule.