Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) systems use tethered flying devices to access higher altitudes, typically up to 500 meter, where wind is generally stronger and more persistent. To estimate the Annual Energy Production (AEP) of AWE systems, the wind speed statistics close to the ground are typically extrapolated to higher altitudes, introducing substantial uncertainties. A methodology is developed for characterising a site’s wind resource using a set of wind profile shapes. It is demonstrated how this wind resource representation is used together with a performance model to do fast AEP calculations for flexible-kite pumping AWE systems. @en

Unmanned Systems are playing an increasingly important role in our economy with a significant impact on our society. Airborne Wind Energy is an emerging industry that offers alternatives to conventional wind turbines. At the former naval air base Valkenburg in the Netherlands, we are providing test facilities for Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) and related technology. This open-air lab is uniquely located in an area with adjacent housing, thereby allowing for tests in a realistic urban environment. We are already performing regular tests with Kitepower systems in Valkenburg and are thus shaping the public perspective on this type of novel systems. Because of its former use as a naval air base, the air space above the field is restricted by an Aerodrome Traffic Zone (ATZ). Inside this air space, future flight tests will be possible without special permit controlled by the local Quality and Safety Manager. Impact on local residents is measured based on interviews to assess the public perception of renewable (wind) energy in general and Airborne Wind Energy in particular. The test center itself offers the opportunity to perform future safety analyses. Further tests will be conducted on a possible interference of AWES and drones. The Unmanned Valley Valkenburg (UVV) will additionally be capable of featuring tests beyond the visual line of sight above the North Sea. The site itself is located within 30 minutes from drone manufacturers as well as leading research institutes like TU Delft, University of Leiden, and the European Space Research and Technology Centre. Above all, the test center is accessible to international parties thanks to its close proximity to Schiphol Airport. The municipality of Katwijk holds the chair of the foundation and guarantees operation of UVV on the airfield for the next 5 years. @en

At Kitepower, we focus on commercializing mobile 100 kWKitepower systemsthat are suitable for temporary operation and installation in remote locations. Kitepower is a spin-off from the research group at TU Delft first established by Wubbo Ockels and now at the core of REACH, a e3.7 million EU H2020 FTI program [1]. Within this project, Kitepower integrates almost 20 years of academic knowledge in high altitude wind energy from the TU Delft with hardware from experienced industrial partners. We pair the agility and the drive of a startup company with the knowledge of a top research institute ś TU Delft ś and in a next step combine it with the production capabilities and expertise of the established companies Maxon Motor, Dromec and Genetrix. Kitepower itself is responsible for the commercialization, the overall system architecture, design, simulation and the control software. We improved our 20 kW prototype and developed the ’Model A’ of our 100 kW product with a peak power of 180 kW. We believe that we are the first to have a mobile wind energy system of this size operational. Besides numerous flight hours, we already had several night flights. With our newKite Control Unit (KCU) which is no longer dependent on battery power, we are moving towards two months of operation until the end of the year. The major advantage of our system lies in the fact that we use a KCU and a soft kite. These are simple components that are very robust, easy to control, have a low weight as well as low costs and are easy to manufacture and to replace. Although the soft kite inherently has a lower aerodynamic performance, we believe that its simplicity and robustness fits perfectly with the off-grid market. We are currently working on a new wing design with improved aerodynamics and structure to make a high efficiency, high wing loading soft kite possible. The 100 kW product is based on a 20 ft container and a 50ś80 m2 kite. The system is marketed as an add-on for diesel generators in order to save on diesel costs in remote locations. It is estimated that the system can save up to 150000 L of diesel ś 400 t of CO2 ś per year under appropriate wind conditions. We are running multiple pilot systemsuntil our final product is ready by the end of 2018. @en