In-flight measurement of kite deformations with inertial sensors

The control and design of kites for airborne wind energy requires an extensive understanding of kite dynamics. While these have been thoroughly analyzed with fluid-structure interaction models, very little experimental data exists to validate them. Specifically, most experiments on kites so far have not obtained local measurements that can be...

Identification of kite aerodynamic characteristics using the estimation before modeling technique

The aerodynamic characteristics of a leading edge inflatable (LEI) kite and a rigid-framed delta (RFD) kite were investigated. Flight data were recorded by using an experimental setup that includes an inertial measurement unit, a GPS, a magnetometer, and a multi-hole Pitot tube onboard the kites, load cells at every tether, and a wind station...

Niche strategy selection for kite-based Airborne Wind Energy technologies

Through the analysis of historic cases high-tech innovations, a selection process has been devised to accelerate sustainable innovations to large-scale adoption. The niche strategy selection process has been applied to, and validated with, the case of kite-based Airborne Wind Energy, resulting in an overview of its barriers and guidance to...