This is a list of airborne wind energy or kite-energy organizations that are advancing airborne wind energy systems (AWES).In 2011 there were over 40 organizations involved worldwide,[1] but this number has increased to over 60 in 2017.[2]
Categories of kite-energy or airborne-wind-energy organizations that are forming the nascent industry: education, academic, non-profit, for-profit, communication, research, original kite-energy equipment manufacturer, kite-line manufacturer, industry-wide association, history, testing, forum entity, library, cooperative, consortium, group, club, school, training school.[3]
Generation by kite-energy systems may involve pumping, electricity generators flown in the upper flying system (flygen), electric generators situated on the land or sea or on board a vessel (groundgen), simple lifting of objects (lifting), pulling hulls or other objects (traction), or transportation; systems generate energy to do special tasks. Systems may be scaled from tiny to utility size.
Location | Start year | Type | Generation | Comment | Ref | |||
Kitemill | Voss, Norway | 2008 | Company | Groundgen | Reel in/Reel out. Bought KPS in 2020 | [4] | ||
WindFisher | Near Grenoble, France | 2015 | Company | Groundgen | Magnus effect energy balloon | [5] | ||
KiteX | Copenhagen, Denmark | 2020 | Company | Flygen | Technical University of Denmark spin-off | [6] [7] | ||
Kitekraft | Munich, Germany | 2019 | Company | Flygen | TU Munich renewable energy spin-off | [8] | ||
Airborne Wind Europe | Brussels, Belgium | 2018 | Association | All types of AWES | [9] | |||
Skypull SA | Lugano, Switzerland | 2017 | Company | Groundgen | developed a specifically suitable UAV | [10] | ||
Scuola Sant'Anna | Pisa, Italy | 2013 | Research Lab | Flygen | Investigates Dual Drone Systems | [11] | ||
Airborne Wind Energy Labs | Texas, USA | 2013 | Research Lab | Groundgen | Provides calculations of cost per kWh | [12] | ||
Altaeros Energies | Massachusetts, USA | 2010 | Research and OEM | Flygen | MIT and Harvard graduates | [13] | ||
AWEIA | Worldwide | 2009 | Association | All types | Nation chapters | [14] | ||
Germany | 2006 | Company | Groundgen | X-Wind technology by Uwe Ahrens | [15] [16] | |||
TU Delft Wind Energy Institute | Delft, The Netherlands | 1999 | Research group | Groundgen | Wubbo Ockels ✝, Roland Schmehl | [17] [18] | ||
Grenoble, France | 2011 | Research group | Groundgen | Ahmad Hably | [19] | |||
Enerkite | Brandenburg, Germany | 2009 | Company | Groundgen | Bernhard Kämpf | [20] [21] | ||
Energy Kite Systems | Los Angeles, California, USA | 1968 | Research, communication | All types of AWES | Acquired by Upper Windpower | [22] | ||
Germany | 2011 | Research group | Groundgen | Moritz Diehl. The SYSCOP Kite Power activities are within the ERC Project HIGHWIND. | [23] | |||
Hamburg, Germany | 2001 | Company | Groundgen and hull traction | Stephan Wrage, Thomas Meyer | [24] [25] | |||
Alameda, California, USA | 2006 | Company | Flygen | Acquired by Google | [26] [27] | |||
KiteLab Group | Ilwaco, Washington, USA | ? | R&D | All methods | Rapid open source development of kite energy. Flight encampments. kPower. | [28] | ||
Kitepower Enevate BV | Delft, NL | 2016 | Company | Groundgen | Johannes Peschel, mobile 100 kW system, H2020 FTI | [29] | ||
The Hague, The Netherlands | 2008 | Company | GroundGen | European fund for regional development | [30] | |||
e-kite | The Netherlands | 2013 | Company | GroundGen | 50 kW prototype | [31] | ||
Torino, Italy | 2003 | Private Research- industrial Company | GroundGen; Carousel GW scale | 3-MW preseries; 130sqm composite wings, first mover; full patents coverage (3000 worldwide); freedom to operate; | [32] [33] [34] [35] | |||
TwingTec | Switzerland | 2013 | Company | GroundGen | [36] [37] | |||
UpWind Project | Portugal | 2014 | Research Group | GroundGen | The University of Porto Airborne Wind Energy Project. Investigates multi-kite systems | [38] | ||
Windswept and Interesting Limited | United Kingdom | 2012 | Company | GroundGen with tensile rotary power transmission from airborne kite turbine | Using Kite Turbine and Tensile Rotary Power Transmission | [39] | ||
UFSCkite | Florianópolis, Brazil | 2012 | Research Lab | GroundGen | First AWE research group in Latin America | [40] | ||
Kites for Future | Berlin, Germany | 2020 | free-time | GroundGen | [41] [42] |