A Solar Sailor vessel.

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The shipping industry is looking to technology from the past - the humble sail - to significantly cut fuel costs and emissions.

Early trials have shown that ships harnessing clean, free energy, such as wind power, can make reductions in their fuel use of between 20 and 40 per cent. This could mean great news for the environment, as the modern shipping industry currently accounts for 4.5 per cent of global CO2 emissions - half a per cent more than all of the world's refineries.

By 2020, this figure is expected to rise to 6 per cent.

Last year German business Beluga Group was the first company to equip a modern diesel freighter with sail power, with the maiden trans-Atlantic voyage of MS Beluga Sky Sail completed early in the year.

A giant, 160 square metre kite, controlled by computer, was flown for between five minutes and eight hours of each day during the two-month voyage, reducing the ship's fuel use and emissions by approximately 20 per cent, and saving about $1,000 a day.

The kite will soon be replaced by one that is double the size, while two larger carriers will be equipped with sails of up to 600 square metres.

The interest in renewables on the high seas is the result of increased environmental concerns in the industry, as well as the rising price of diesel.

"Wind is always cheaper than oil," said Stephan Wrage from SkySails, which installed the Beluga ship's sail.

"The resource costs...raw material costs [and] fuel prices have developed so dramatically; we can really make significant savings."

Sydney-based Solar Sailor is another company looking to the days of yore for inspiration, albeit with a high-tech edge.

They have designed movable wings covered in photovoltaic panels that automatically track the direction and strength of the sun and wind - adjusting their angle to best capture this energy.

"With modern materials and technology, you don't need a crew to set the sails," said Solar Sailor's chief executive, Robert Dane. "You just push a button and let a computer do it. It's a new age."

The Australian technology is suitable for everything from unmanned naval drones to cargo ships, and is even used on Sydney Harbour: the 100-seater Sydney Solar Sailor ferry has been operating since the 2000 Olympics.

In October 2008, Solar Sailor signed an agreement with Cosco, China's biggest shipping line, to retrofit two tankers. They will attach solar-powered aluminium sails the size of jumbo-jet wings to each vessel, harnessing enough wind energy to reduce fuel costs up to 40 per cent, and enough solar energy to meet around five per cent of the ship's needs.

The results of the trial will determine the viability of the technology for the rest of Cosco's 117-strong fleet, as well as its potential to be incorporated into the development of new vessels.

Looking to the future, Dane is confident about the uptake of renewable energy on the high seas: "It's hard to predict a time line, but at some point in the future I can see all ships using solar sails...it's inevitable," he said.