Kitepower showcases 100 kW system
The TU Delft spin-off Kitepower is developing a 100 kW airborne wind energy system to complement diesel generators in remote locations with a cost-competitive green energy solution.
The new ground station of the 100 kW Kitepower system which is developed by project partner Dromec, has has passed the faculty of Aerospace Engineering for a final update at the end of june and it will be deployed to the former naval airfield Valkenburg for extensive testing.
100 kW Kitepower system
The 100kW Kitepower system in development comprises a high performance kite connected by a load-transmitting tether to the electricity producing ground station. A robotic control unit suspended below wing allows to remotely control the aerodynamics and steering.
The spin-off Kitepower integrates the system together with three experienced industry partners who design, manufacture and deliver the component parts within the European REACH project. The new ground station will be operated with a wing developed in collaboration with Genetrix Kiteboarding and a kite control unit from Maxon Motor. The research group of TU Delft, now complements the commercial partners with its fundamental research.
Milestone
Four years ago, the generator of the pilot wind power generation demonstration project had a power of 20 kW, now multiplied to 100 kW, a milestone. The first tests will be carried out with a forty square meter kite that generates 32 kW of energy. This follows a test with a seventy square meter kite, which is good for 100 kW of power generation. During the tests, students will work on possible practical problems that will gather before and information about flight patterns, positions and forces.
Linked projects
Further pathbreaking projects are linked to the 100 kW Kitepower system. One prominent example is the future development of the testing airfield Valkenburg which is part of the unmanned valley project as a larger test center for unmanned innovation. Another example is the international doctoral training network AWESCO. It comprises 14 PhD students and in total 12 partners from industry and research including TU Delft as one of the leading institutes in the field of airborne wind energy.