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by interdocken 2854 days ago
maintenance. the materials used for actual sails stretches eventually and is less effective. presumably these towers have very little to replace.
1 comments

They have a very expensive, hard to replace, and high maintenance bearing at the base of the tower that carries the full force of the sail leveraged by a long moment arm. This bearing (along with lack of height = low wind) has been the reason that Flettner sails and wind turbines haven't been economical in the past.