Kitepower, a startup based in Delft, will launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the funds required for its mobile airborne wind energy system to go on sale (AWES).
Wubbo Ockels, who played a key role in its development, leaves a lasting legacy with Kitepower. The concept of using kites to generate energy was first proposed by Wubbo in 1993. A kite and a sea container are joined by a kind of guy rope in the Kitepower system. The kite generates energy by making eight-sided circles. In the future, one container will be able to power up to 150 homes, claims Kitepower.
Ready to enter the market
Kitepower is prepared for the following stage: the marketing of the first mobile AWES after three successful pilots, including one with defense, and nine iterations of the Kitepower system.
Kitepower requires an investment of €700,000 to enter the market. Through the pan-European crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, they hope to raise these funds. Previously, Kitepower raised €4.1 million in this manner for additional development. The ifund Foundation, ENERGIIQ, and Windhandel Beheer are a few of its investors who are also taking part in this round. Together, they make up a sizeable sum, and Kitepower reports that the counter has reached more than €300,000 thanks to pre-registrations for the crowdfunding campaign. The start of the crowdfunding campaign is scheduled for the end of July.
In the world of microgrids, which are autonomous local energy systems, Kitepower sees a lot of potential. Although diesel generators still rule the market at the moment, Kitepower’s mobile containers offer a good and environmentally friendly alternative. For the past five years, Kitepower has closely partnered with the Ministry of Defense to strategically place the power units in hostile and difficult-to-reach locations.
Image source: Kitepower
