This aligns perfectly with the operational strengths of the Kitepower Hawk, which generates renewable energy precisely when it is windy. By combining clean energy generation with real-time wildfire detection, this collaboration aims to deliver dual benefits to communities: sustainable power and increased safety.

“At Ember Flash, just like our trailblazing partners at Kitepower, we’re operating in the power zone—where vision, velocity, and precision collide. Kitepower is redefining what’s possible in airborne energy, and together we’re not just adapting to wildfire threats—we’re sending it, pushing boundaries, and staying ahead of every shift the wind throws our way.” — said Joseph Norris, CEO, Ember Flash Aerospace.

The first test flights will evaluate the performance of the Vigilant Detect sensor mounted on the Kitepower Hawk. The system, nicknamed “The Vigilant Hawk”, is a mobile Airborne Wind Energy System that not only generates green energy but also functions as an early-warning system for wildfires, enabling faster response times and potentially saving lives and property.

“We’ve planned a full testing campaign to see how the sensor performs in flight and what iterations might be needed to fully integrate it with the Kitepower Hawk system,” said Andrei Luca, Head of Operations at Kitepower. “It’s an ideal match. The Hawk is designed to operate off-grid or on mini-grids, which are often located in remote areas. That makes it perfect for monitoring the horizon for wildfire threats from the height of the kite while providing clean power.”

This partnership opens a new chapter for both companies and offers tremendous potential for innovation at the intersection of energy, safety, and AI-powered sensing.Stay tuned as we begin flight testing and prepare The Vigilant Hawk for real-world deployment.

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Airborne Wind Energy is a groundbreaking approach to renewable energy that uses tethered kites to capture wind power at higher altitudes, where winds are stronger and more consistent than those reachable by traditional wind turbines. Kitepower, based in Delft, Netherlands, has been at the forefront of this technology with its advanced leading edge inflatable kite system.

The partnership with the University of Freiburg will address one of the critical challenges in making Kitepower’s systems fully autonomous: improving the control of the kite’s flight path through all stages of operation. The collaboration will be structured around two distinct projects, each contributing to key areas of development.

Digital twin

The first project will focus on developing a digital twin—a sophisticated simulation model of the kite power system. This model will accurately replicate the design and operation of Kitepower’s soft-wing kites and will be validated using real-world flight test data. Once validated, the digital twin will serve as a critical tool for solving trajectory optimisation problems, improving flight path planning, and refining overall control strategies. The result will be greater system efficiency and reliability.

Flexible flight path

The second project will aim to improve Kitepower’s flight path planning by reducing its reliance on heuristic methods. By exploring advanced computational techniques, this project seeks to make the flight path planning process more flexible and adaptable to varying wind conditions. This will significantly enhance system performance, enabling Kitepower’s technology to respond dynamically to changing environmental factors.

Kitepower is eager to see the outcomes of both projects, confident that the advancements will deliver significant value.

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A strengthened alliance for innovation

This renewed partnership, extending through June 2027, will operate across both the Netherlands and France, with a key focus on advancing modelling, simulation, and the development of a unified simulation platform. By combining their expertise and innovative approaches, Kitepower and Beyond the Sea aim to deliver cutting-edge kite designs that significantly enhance the efficiency and sustainability of energy generation and marine propulsion systems.

Key areas of collaboration

The collaboration will target three strategic areas: advanced kite design and development, academic research, and system modelling & mechatronics. This joint effort is expected to significantly elevate the technological capabilities of both companies, positioning them as leaders in the field. The partnership will facilitate the exchange of detailed plans and construction methodologies for kites and their bridles. Jointly developed simulation algorithms will refine kite design processes, and innovative methods, sensors, and algorithms will validate and enhance kite performance. Continuous sharing of experimental data will drive this iterative process.

Leadership Perspectives

Johannes Peschel, CEO of Kitepower, underscored the importance of this collaboration: “Renewing and expanding our partnership with Beyond the Sea is a major milestone in our mission to transform airborne wind energy. Our initial collaboration was highly successful, and we are excited to deepen our cooperation by aligning our software and simulation platforms, coordinating research activities, and synchronising the work of our PhD students with Beyond the Sea’s research team.”

Yves Parlier, CEO of Beyond the Sea, highlighted the synergy between the two companies: “This partnership showcases the powerful collaboration between our teams. By leveraging our combined strengths, we are setting new standards for innovation and sustainability in kite technology. Together, we are poised to deliver groundbreaking advancements that will redefine the future of kite applications.”

About Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Sea, created by Yves Parlier, develops and commercialises kite traction systems able to deliver part or all of the energy needed to propel a ship depending on the navigation area, the performance and the characteristics of the boat. The company aims to answer the problem of energy dependence of shipowners with a goal to decarbonise maritime transport. The company has developed SeaKite, a fully automated kite traction system, to reduce the emissions of the equipped vessel. Connected to the boat by its lines, SeaKite pilots itself automatically and can fly statically or dynamically depending on the desired traction force. The kite can be used alone or in addition to another mode of propulsion. Currently available in several different sizes, the system adapts to all types of boats.

The post Kitepower and Beyond the Sea strengthen and expand partnership appeared first on Kitepower.

Green hydrogen stands at the forefront of the energy transition as a clean and versatile fuel, applicable across various sectors including transportation, industry, and infrastructure. With the Netherlands aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, green hydrogen emerges as a pivotal element in achieving this ambitious goal. eFuelution, as a leading project developer dedicated to green hydrogen initiatives, is committed to accelerating and optimizing hydrogen project development, ensuring a sustainable and cost-effective energy solution.

Synergising innovation for sustainable solutions

The collaboration between Kitepower and eFuelution brings together cutting-edge technologies and expertise from both the airborne wind energy and hydrogen sectors. By uniting efforts, the partners seek to expedite the realization of green hydrogen projects while simultaneously driving down production costs.

Johannes Peschel, CEO of Kitepower: “We are excited to cooperate with eFuelution, exploring new applications of our system in the hydrogen sector. This partnership empowers us to seamlessly integrate our technology into hydrogen projects, making significant strides in the energy transition.”

Hanno Hardenbol, Project Development Consultant – Clean Energy at eFuelution: “Our partnership with Kitepower allows us to leverage their groundbreaking technology with the potential to revolutionize green hydrogen production. Together, we are poised to deliver sustainable and economically viable hydrogen projects.”

About Kitepower

Kitepower is a leading start-up in Airborne Wind Energy (AWE), developing innovative and cost-effective alternatives to existing wind turbines. Kitepower’s patented technology is a game-changer in the wind energy sector: Kitepower uses up to 90% less material with the potential to be twice as efficient as conventional wind turbines with the same power output. Unlike conventional wind turbines, Kitepower systems do not require resource-consuming towers or heavy foundations and are therefore highly mobile and easy to install. The system is able to harness stronger and more persistent winds at higher altitudes, providing capacity factors of more than 0.5 and in return cost-effective electricity generation.The company was founded in 2016 by Johannes Peschel and Roland Schmehl as a spin-out from the airborne wind energy group at Delft University of Technology. Kitepower has a team of experienced engineers and technicians working on the development of innovative wind energy systems. The team works with, among others, the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the United Nations World Food Program, and leading energy provider RWE Renewables. 

About eFuelution

Hydrogen is the future for the green industry and mobility, and eFuelution is committed to realizing the crucial hydrogen projects. Combating climate change is eFuelution’s main goal. We develop innovative solutions for generating and transporting hydrogen, which will accelerate the energy transition and contribute to a greener future.

Concretely, eFuelution develops cost-effective hydrogen energy projects that bring world-class innovation to life.

The post Kitepower and eFuelution Partner to Drive Green Hydrogen Development appeared first on Kitepower.

The partnership will focus on the development of an automated system for launching, retrieving, inflating, deflating, and storing kites from 40 to 60 square meters. This system will improve the safety and efficiency of kite use, and will further reduce the costs of this technology. The partners will also look for future opportunities to collaborate in manufacturing and grant applications, helping both organizations to accelerate their product development.

Energy innovation

Kitepower is a leading player in the airborne wind energy sector. The company has developed a unique and cost-effective technology that enables kites to be used at scale for electricity generation. Beyond the Sea is an innovative company that focuses on the development of sustainable marine propulsion systems. The company has developed a kite propulsion technology that can reduce CO2 emissions.

“We are very excited to partner with Beyond the Sea,” says Kitepower’s CEO Johannes Peschel. “Both companies have strong expertise in kite design and technology. By combining our strengths and experiences, we can make a significant contribution to the development of sustainable energy sources and marine propulsion.”

“We are delighted with this new partnership,” say together Yves Parlier, Chairman of Beyond the Sea and Marc Thienpont, CEO. “Kitepower is a leading player in the airborne wind energy sector. By working together, we can accelerate the development of our marine propulsion technology and increase our contribution to the decarbonization of shipping.”

About Kitepower

Kitepower is a leading start-up in Airborne Wind Energy (AWE), developing innovative and cost-effective alternatives to existing wind turbines. Kitepower’s patented technology is a game-changer in the wind energy sector: Kitepower uses up to 90% less material with the potential of being twice as efficient than conventional wind turbines with the same power output. Unlike conventional wind turbines, Kitepower systems do not require resource-intensive towers nor heavy foundations and are thus highly mobile and easy to deploy. The system is able to harness stronger and more persistent winds at higher altitudes, allowing for capacity factors greater than 0.5 and cost-effective electricity generation in return. Kitepower’s leading product, the Kitepower Falcon, is specially designed to allow remote communities worldwide to mitigate dependency on polluting and expensive diesel supply.

About Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Sea, created by Yves Parlier, develops and commercializes kite traction systems able to deliver part or all of the energy needed to propel a ship depending on the navigation area, the performance and the characteristics of the boat. The company aims to answer the problem of energy dependence of shipowners with a goal to decarbonize maritime transport.

The company has developed SeaKite, a fully automated kite traction system, to reduce the emissions of the equipped vessel.

Connected to the boat by its lines, SeaKite pilots itself automatically and can fly statically or dynamically depending on the desired traction force. The kite can be used alone or in addition to another mode of propulsion. Currently available in several different sizes, the system adapts to all types of boats.

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