Ampyx Power and NLR join forces for alternative wind energy
Ampyx Power and NLR have recently received a subsidy from the Top Sector Energy - TKI Wind on Sea to optimalise the design of an aircraft which can be used to generate wind energy.
With this subsidy a new step is taken to scale up an Airborne Wind Energy System (AWES) to a large-scale megawatt system. Such a system, with its relatively small size, can open up areas that are currently not eligible for wind energy due to too high costs or lower wind conditions, such as areas far inland or on deep sea. With such megawatt system, 2,000 households can be supplied with green electricity in the future.
The AWES of wind power technology developer Ampyx Power is a compact system that uses the strong wind above 200 meters. An essential part of this system is an aircraft that is connected to a winch on a platform with a cable. By allowing the aircraft to take off autonomously and to fly high in the air patterns, the cable is always rolled out, causing the winch to turn and generate electricity as a dynamo.
The research of NLR and Ampyx Power focuses on the development of the aircraft for AP4, the commercial successor of the prototype AP3 that is currently being built by Ampyx Power. AP4 is being developed for the replacement market for first-generation offshore wind turbines in Europe, if they are at the end of their service life. The existing foundations can be reused to install platforms. From there, aircraft with a slingshot can be launched and with the help of the cable also countries for maintenance or repair. The new system will be more effective and quieter than the current wind turbines and will also be cheaper and require less maintenance. Because it is also a small and handy system, it can be used in many places in the world. This can be done offshore, on floating platforms for example, or onshore.
Source: Windenergie Courant
