Sea trials have begun for a hybrid wind and solar energy system installed aboard the container ship Helgafell as part of the European WHISPER project. The equipment was installed in Aarhus, Denmark, and testing started as the vessel crossed the North Atlantic before arriving in Iceland on August 24. Project partners said the system is designed to reduce emissions from the ship’s auxiliary engines.

The installation combines horizontal wind turbines developed by SideWind with custom photovoltaic panels from Solbian. The turbines are fitted inside modified shipping containers, while solar panels are mounted on their roofs. According to project coordinator Verkís, the modular arrangement is intended for retrofitting existing vessels while requiring limited modifications to the ship.

The trials are scheduled to continue over four voyages during a three-month period. Project partners will collect data on the system’s operation, control, energy production, and performance under normal commercial conditions. SideWind said the testing will help determine whether the containerized wind-energy technology can be developed into a scalable retrofit option for commercial ships.

The demonstration forms part of WHISPER, or Wind Energy Harvesting for Ship Propulsion Assistance and Power, a Horizon Europe-funded project involving 13 partners from six European countries. The project is studying wind and solar technologies for existing ships and aims to demonstrate fuel savings of up to 15 percent on a retrofitted container ship. The target remains a project objective and will need to be assessed against results from the ongoing sea trials.