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© SkySails Power GmbH

Despite a flurry of research activity in the field of airborne wind energy, there are currently no airborne wind energy turbines in autonomous, continuous operation. It is precisely this that the research project SkyPower100 is to develop and test.

A pilot project with a nominal capacity of 100 kW is to be built in collaboration with four project partners from industry and research. This will not only permit the autonomous, long-term operation day and night, but also allow the fully automated take-off, landing and storage of the kite. In a test phase lasting many months, the operating conditions and energy production, in particular, but also the environmental factors, security aspects and economic efficiency of the plant will be examined until 2021.

The data and insights from the onshore operation of the pilot system are to lay the foundation for the subsequent production of a serial model. In order to pave the way for this, part of the project also involves examining the national and international licensing requirements. In a further step, the scaling up of the airborne wind turbine to the megawatt range and its adaptation for offshore applications is planned.