UK-headquartered wind propulsion specialist GT Green Technologies has won grant funding as part of this year’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CDMC2) launched by the UK’s Department of Transport.
The company said that it would use the funding to further develop and launch its proprietary AirWing propulsion solution. Namely, GT Green Technologies has developed a wingsail that incorporates novel air-flow technology that maximizes thrust output achieving fuel savings ranging between 10-30% for retrofits and greater savings for newbuilds. The technology is patent-pending.
“We are delighted to have secured this grant funding from the Department for Transport. This injection of funds will greatly accelerate developments of our wind propulsion system and provide us with the ability to enable an on-the-water prototype in the coming months ,” George Thompson, CEO of GT Green Technologies, said, adding that talks with potential customers were heating up as the company enters the next stage of technology development.
As lead organization, GT Green Technologies is working with a range of industry partners to submit this funding bid, including the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), SABE Fluid Dynamics, and expert aerodynamicists from Formula One and Americas Cups campaigns. The project also includes a strong board of advisory partners including an end user ship owner and operator, who have expressed interest in being the first adopter of this novel technology.
“We are overjoyed to have won CMDC2 funding and to have the opportunity to work with GT Green Technologies. Developing AirWing™ is a really exciting opportunity for ourselves and for the wider maritime renewable energies market-place,” Abbie Romano , Senior Research Engineer at The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), added.
“We are looking forward to working in partnership with all consortium members to bring our expertise to the table and collaborate for enhancing the system. Watch this space!”
GT Green Technologies recently teamed up with US-based marine industry Organization, PEI TECH LLC, to bring AirWing to market.
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The AirWing ™ development and feasibility study is part of the CMDC2 which was launched in May 2022, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC2, the Department allocated over £14m to 31 projects supported by 121 organisations from across the UK to deliver feasibility studies and collaborative R&D projects in clean maritime solutions.
The CMDC2 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emission’s (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year CMDC programme. In March 2022, the Department announced the biggest government investment ever in the UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206m to UK SHORE, a new division within the Department for Transport focused on organisations within the maritime sector.