Kitepower Explained

Kitepower
Founded:2016
Founders:Johannes Peschel,
Dr. Roland Schmehl
Type:B.V.
Hq Location:Delft, Netherlands
Num Employees:18
Industry:Wind Energy, Renewable Energy
Website:https://thekitepower.com/

Kitepower is a registered trademark of the Dutch company Enevate B.V. developing mobile airborne wind power systems.Kitepower was founded in 2016 by Johannes Peschel and Roland Schmehl[1] [2] as a university spin-off[3] from the Delft University of Technology’s airborne wind energy research group[4] established by the former astronaut Wubbo Ockels. The company is located in Delft, Netherlands, and currently comprises 18 employees (2018).

System

Based on its first 20 kW (rated generator power) prototype, Kitepower is currently developing a scaled-up 100 kW system for the purpose of commercialization.[5] Funding was provided by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Fast Track to Innovation [6] project REACH[7] [8] in which the company was collaborating with Delft University of Technology and industry partners [9] Dromec, Maxon Motor and Genetrix.

Working principle

The Kitepower system consists of three major components:[10] [11] [12] a soft kite,[13] a load-bearing tether and a ground-based electric generator. Another important component is the so-called kite control unit and together with the according control software for remotely steering the kite.[14]

For energy production, the kite is operated in consecutive "pumping cycles" with alternating reel-out and reel-in phases:[15] during reel-out the kite is flown in crosswind maneuvers (transverse to the incoming wind). This creates a large pulling force which unwinds the tether from a ground-based drum connected to a generator. In this phase electricity is generated. Once the maximum tether length is reached, the kite is reeled back, but this time depowered,[16] such that it can be retracted with a low aerodynamic resistance. This phase consumes a small fraction of the previously generated power such that in total net energy is produced. The electricity is buffered by a rechargeable battery unit, or, in a kite park configuration, several systems can be operated with phase shifts such that the battery capacity can be reduced.[17]

Technology context

Airborne wind energy promises to be a cost-competitive solution to existing renewable energy technologies.[18] [19] The main advantages of the airborne wind energy technology are the reduced material usage compared to conventional wind turbines (no foundation, no tower) which allows reaching for higher altitudes and makes the systems more mobile in terms of location, and considerably cheaper in construction.[20] Challenges are robustness and reliability of the flying wind energy system[21] and the airspace requirements of the technology.[22] A considerable body of scientific literature and patents has been developed.[23]

Applications

For the art project Windvogel of Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde the Kitepower system was operated also during night, using a light-emitting tether. [24] In October 2021 the company deployed its 100 kW system during a 3 weeks exercise of the Dutch engineering corps on the Caribbean Island Aruba. [25]

Awards

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Schmehl. Roland. Finally, kites have grown up. TEDxDelft 2012. 25 May 2018.
  2. Web site: Anderson. Mark. Ready Flyer One: Airborne Wind Energy Simulations Guide the Leap to Satisfying Global Energy Demand. IEEE Spectrum. 2 March 2019. 2019-02-26.
  3. http://www.delftenterprises.nl/en/portfolio/kitepower/ Company Portfolio
  4. http://kitepower.eu/ Airborne Wind Energy Research
  5. Breuer. Joep. Commercializing A 100 kW, Mobile Airborne Wind Energy System: Potentially For Ships And Land Use. Energy Independent Electric Vehicles: Land, Water & Air. 28 September 2017. Delft, Netherlands. IDTechEx. 25 May 2018.
  6. Web site: Fast Track to Innovation Pilot. European Commission. 26 May 2018. 2014-09-24.
  7. Web site: Resource Efficient Automatic Conversion of High-Altitude Wind (REACH). European Commission Community Research & Development Information Service (CORDIS). 25 May 2018.
  8. http://reach-h2020.eu/ REACH Project
  9. http://www.reach-h2020.eu/partners.html REACH Partners
  10. Web site: Kite power: towards affordable, clean energy. Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology. 26 May 2018.
  11. Book: van der Vlugt. Rolf. Peschel. Johannes. Schmehl. Roland. 2013. Design and Experimental Characterization of a Pumping Kite Power System. Ahrens. Uwe. Diehl. Moritz. Schmehl. Roland. Airborne Wind Energy. Green Energy and Technology. 403–425. Springer. Berlin Heidelberg. 10.1007/978-3-642-39965-7_23. http://www.kitepower.eu/images/stories/publications/vlugt13.pdf.
  12. van der Vlugt. Rolf. Bley. Anna. Noom. Michael. Schmehl. Roland. 2018. Quasi-Steady Model of a Pumping Kite Power System. Renewable Energy. 131. 83–99. 10.1016/j.renene.2018.07.023. 1705.04133. 26253201 .
  13. Oehler. Johannes. Schmehl. Roland. Aerodynamic characterization of a soft kite by in situ flow measurement. Wind Energy Science. 4. 1–21. 1 . 10.5194/wes-4-1-2019. free. 2019. 2019WiEnS...4....1O .
  14. Web site: Roschi. Stefan. Clean energy from high above. drive tech. maxon motor. 25 May 2018.
  15. Book: Fechner. Uwe. Schmehl. Roland. 2018. Flight Path Planning in a Turbulent Wind Environment. Schmehl. Roland. Airborne Wind Energy. Green Energy and Technology. 9789811019463 . 361–390. Springer. Singapore. 10.1007/978-981-10-1947-0_15. 120795220 . http://www.kitepower.eu/images/stories/publications/fechner18.pdf.
  16. Web site: Schmehl. Roland. Simulated de-powering of a LEI tube kite for power generation. YouTube. 26 May 2018.
  17. Book: Faggiani. Pietro. Schmehl. Roland. 2018. Design and Economics of a Pumping Kite Wind Park. Schmehl. Roland. Airborne Wind Energy. Green Energy and Technology. 9789811019463 . 391–411. Springer. Singapore. 10.1007/978-981-10-1947-0_16. 158197984 . http://www.kitepower.eu/images/stories/publications/faggiani18.pdf.
  18. Book: Heilmann. Jannis. Houle. Corey. 2013. Economics of Pumping Kite Generators. Ahrens. Uwe. Diehl. Moritz. Schmehl. Roland. Airborne Wind Energy. Green Energy and Technology. 271–284. Springer. Berlin Heidelberg. 10.1007/978-3-642-39965-7_15. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289624113_Economics_of_Pumping_Kite_Generators.
  19. Web site: Harris. Margaret. The promise and challenges of airborne wind energy. Physics World. 15 February 2020. 2020-12-06.
  20. Web site: 100 kW airborne wind energy system. Offgrid Energy Independence. 26 May 2018. 2017-06-14.
  21. Salma. Volkan. Friedl. Felix. Schmehl. Roland. Improving reliability and safety of airborne wind energy systems. Wind Energy. 23. 340–356. 2. 10.1002/we.2433. free. 2019.
  22. Book: Salma. Volkan. Ruiterkamp. Richard. Kruijff. Michiel. van Paassen. M. M. (René). Schmehl. Roland. 2018. Current and Expected Airspace Regulations for Airborne Wind Energy Systems. Schmehl. Roland. Airborne Wind Energy. Green Energy and Technology. 9789811019463 . 703–725. Springer. Singapore. 10.1007/978-981-10-1947-0_29. http://www.kitepower.eu/images/stories/publications/salma18.pdf.
  23. Mendonça. Anny Key de Souza. Vaz. Caroline Rodrigues. Lezana. Álvaro Guillermo Rojas. Anacleto. Cristiane Alves. Paladini. Edson Pacheco. Comparing Patent and Scientific Literature in Airborne Wind Energy. Sustainability. 9. 915. 6. 10.3390/su9060915. free. 2017.
  24. Web site: Windvogel. Studio Roosegaarde. 25 May 2018.
  25. Web site: Airborne Wind Energy Takes Off in The Caribbean with Kitepower. Kitepower. 16 October 2022.
  26. https://www.yesdelft.com/single-post/kitepower Kitepower Launchlab Prize
  27. http://www.delftenterprises.nl/en/kitepower-wins-ministry-of-defence-innovation-competition/ Kitepower Innovation Competition
  28. https://www.yesdelft.com/single-post/kitepower Kitepower Incubation Program

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