With the recently obtained BVLOS permit from the ILT, Kitepower’s innovative kites, the Hawk and the Falcon, can now operate without a person ‘on-site’, utilizing remote monitoring instead. This substantially decreases the cost of operation and increases the operational range of the kites, enabling Kitepower to generate wind energy in previously inaccessible areas, including offshore wind farms. The ILT permit also allows Kitepower to conduct BVLOS flights in segregated and atypical airspace, creating new opportunities for deploying the kites in locations with specific regulations or restrictions. This permit represents a significant advancement in the commercialisation process for Kitepower, opening the door to larger-scale deployment of their technology products, further enhancing the efficiency of energy generation.

Milestone

“This permit is a crucial milestone for Kitepower,” says CEO Johannes Peschel. “It enables us to further develop and demonstrate our technology to potential customers. This permit not only enhances the commercial attractiveness of our technology but also opens the door to new applications and market segments. We are confident that BVLOS flights will play a crucial role in our operations and the future of wind energy in general.“

ILT granted Kitepower the permit after an extensive safety assessment of the technology. Throughout this process, Kitepower conducted comprehensive tests to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the kites. To date Kitepower had been flying under a ‘Visual Line of Sight’ permit which required a trained operator on site. Under the most recent European drone legislation, the ILT permit can be used as the basis for a cross-border application in order to fly in any other European country. The EU legislation and recent permit will help enable rapid deployments of Kitepower systems in places where portable power is needed. Construction sites, agriculture and island communities, currently relying on diesel generators, can now benefit from renewable power generation and storage on site.

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This is a groundbreaking milestone for Kitepower and the whole AWE industry, namely:

• This is the very first Kitepower operation to be carried outside of the European continent
• This is the very first Airborne Wind Energy system to be operated in the Caribbean

The vessel carrying Kitepower’s Falcon 100kW AWES has shipped from the port of Eemshaven at the beginning of September and arrived on the island of Aruba a couple of weeks later. Delivering the Kitepower Falcon overseas represented a great opportunity to put to the test the system’s logistics and once more prove its huge transportation and installation advantages. The entire trip went smoothly, two standard trucks, one for the Kitepower system and one for the Greener battery, were all we needed to reach the deployment site on land. Whereas transporting conventional wind turbines is no mean feat – with all the overweight and over-dimensional freight-related issues – the transportation of the Kitepower Falcon 100kW AWES validated the system’s strategical potential when it comes to reaching rural and remote areas via ordinary and even narrow roads.

The deployment of Kitepower’s AWE technology is taking place near the 30MW Vader Piet Wind Farm, NuCapital‘s first involvement on the island dated 2009, led by wind energy expert and Kitepower’s mentor & investor Henk Hutting (1952 – 2021).

“Henk has been a strong supporter of Kitepower and I am incredibly grateful that part of our common dream – bringing Kitepower to the Caribbeans – becomes reality. It is especially satisfying that we are flying in front of a wind farm that was developed by him and I hope he will be watching from his star” adds Kitepower’s Founder CEO, Johannes Peschel.

The project shows how MoD’s strategic foresight activities, which take climate change into consideration, have recently been stepped up throughout applicable regional cases. Kitepower is proud to be supporting the Dutch Ministry of Defence with innovative energy solutions in operational situations.

Kitepower & The Dutch Ministry of Defence – Background

It was November 2016 when the relationship between the Dutch Ministry of Defence and Kitepower first started. Back then, Kitepower had just won the Innovation Competition themed “Energy for Military Operations” aimed to foster the development of a 100kW Airborne Wind Energy System capable to support the ministry’s decarbonization commitment (Operationele Energiestrategie, OES-2015). Meer informatie.

Following up on the Innovation competition, in early 2018, Kitepower successfully performed a training session for the Dutch Defence in order to introduce the Falcon 100kW system and its operation. This was the first time that an external crew operated a Kitepower AWES. Meer informatie.

After the Innovation Competition, in 2019 Kitepower received a second valuable collaboration agreement with the Dutch Defence focused on reporting the benefits of deploying Kitepower throughout Defence’s field operations, named: “Kitepower System for the New Defence Technology Program” and this is what ultimately led to the project taking place in 2021 on the Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba. The collaboration agreement had developed within the framework of the National Technology Project (NTP), a program that stimulates the development of prototypes and demonstration of defence-specific applications.

The Dutch Defence aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels across its worldwide campaigns. Kitepower’s innovative wind energy technology offers an environmentally friendly solution for deployments in remote locations, where logistical supply lines cannot be guaranteed, by reducing diesel consumption and increasing energy independence.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul van der Heul affirms “Kitepower is one of the interesting possibilities of energy supply. We see the application as Defence in the operational and civil domain, it has social added value. This is one of the reasons for Defence to participate in this project. This offers opportunities, especially in remote and windy areas such as islands”.

Airborne Wind Energy on Islands

Airborne wind energy systems work extremely well on islands due to high coastal winds ensuring strong steady power generation. Islands offer fundamental challenges for any energy supply, as the cost of running a power line or even supplying fuel to local generators are often several times what the same would cost on the mainland. For this reason, energy tends to be supplied by generators running on diesel imported at very high costs. Kitepower offers an excellent solution to reducing the fuel consumption, cost and environmental footprint of these generators.

Kitepower can be integrated into microgrids allowing to unlock the potential of airborne wind energy When integrating Kitepower in combination with batteries, diesel generators can be switched off completely. Hybridizing with Kitepower results in less diesel consumption for more clean energy, culminating in considerable financial savings even for areas that do not experience consistent high wind speeds.

Johannes Peschel, Founder CEO of Kitepower, says: “A dream finally came true: A milestone that I have envisioned since the incorporation of Kitepower five years ago. We have finally shipped and flown a Kitepower system on a Caribbean Island. It is rewarding to see one of our kites flying next to Henk’s wind farm (Vader Piet in Aruba) and I believe it is truly remarkable to be able to witness what Kitepower has accomplished in the course of the last years. I would like to thank Henk, the department of Defense, all supporters and especially the Kitepower team for the blood, sweat and tears that have been put into the system and look forward to many more Kitepower operations in Europe and overseas!”

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The event has been attended by impact-driven investors, farmers and tech entrepreneurs interested in the ongoing development of Kitepower’s Airborne Wind Energy technology and its potential application in a Dutch scenario that certainly urges a forward movement on renewable energy. Showcasing the current status of the Kitepower Falcon 100kW AWES gave a precious opportunity to exchange ideas on the applicability of the system throughout different customer cases; allowing for further identification of key development aspects towards a successful commercial implementation of the Kitepower system.

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In the span of one afternoon, the teams managed to set up (within one hour), operate the system and ultimately generate airborne wind electricity. On two occasions during the project, the airspace was shared with the airforce. The test location at the Marnewaard in the Province of Groningen, Netherlands, provided a great testing environment; furthermore, different weather conditions were experienced throughout the testing including heavy snow. Kitepower’s founder CEO, Johannes Peschel, affirms: “We are proud to share this achievement with the public and want to thank the Ministry of Defence for its continuous support“.

Background – Defence Innovation Competition Project

In November 2016, Kitepower won the Dutch Ministry of Defence’s Innovation Competition themed “Energy for Operational Action (Energie voor Operationeel Optreden)” endowed with €200.000. The competition relates to the Operational Energy Strategy (Operationele Energiestrategie, OES-2015) of the Defence, in which it announces the ambition to produce 50% of the electricity in its camps in a renewable manner by 2030.

During its operations on international peace missions, the Defence is dependent on diesel for a large part of its energy supply, which brings risks and limitations. Reportedly, diesel prices can be as high as 6€/l (full burden of costs) driven by the need for regular transportation through difficult terrain to remote or challenging locations and its necessary security measures. Kitepower systems offer an environmentally friendly solution, by generating wind power with tethered kites. These units are easy to use and quick to install within a few hours in an operational environment. Kitepower systems can thus reduce diesel consumption and increase energy independence. Therefore, the jury of the Ministry of Defence chose the Delft startup and spin-off from the Delft University of Technology as the winner.

• Read Technisch Weekblad related article (Dutch)
• Read Nu.nl related article

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