Kitepower, innovation leader in Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES), has appointed seasoned venture builder Walter Hueber as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) to strengthen its management team. The new role will help Kitepower prepare for its next phase of company development as it brings its cost-effective alternatives to existing wind turbines to the market to support off-grid communities and increase our overall capacity for sustainable energy production.

Johannes Peschel, CEO Kitepower: “In order to create impact at scale with our airborne wind energy systems, Kitepower will step up its investment in overall company expansion with public and private partnerships, expanded R&D and go-to-market activities to deploy our systems. I believe Walter will be instrumental in helping us shape a future-proof organisation that can contribute to a world with clean affordable energy for everyone.”

Walter Hueber: “The Kitepower team is contributing to tackle the single biggest problem our planet is facing today: climate change. I believe that this team is uniquely positioned to help communities globally benefit from sustainable energy by building an entirely new and complementary category of power generation with airborne wind energy systems. The affiliation with Delft University of Technology and the strong support with both private and public investment is proof of the enormous potential of this technology.”

Kitepower’s first product, the Kitepower Falcon, is specially designed to allow remote communities worldwide to mitigate dependency on polluting and expensive diesel supply. With a power output of 100 kW it can supply up to 150 households with electricity. The system is currently available for pre-order and is the first in a family of Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) with the objective to develop a product range that will be able to generate ever larger electricity output.