Munich, Germany, October 25, 2023: Kitekraft, developer of a novel innovative airborne wind energy system (a.k.a. flying wind turbine), is pleased to announce the achievement of all flight phases with the grid-connected ground station: hover-launch from ground station supplied by the public grid, transition from hover to figure-8 flight, figure-8 flight in part with power generation and fed-into the public grid, transition from figure-8 flight to hover, and hover-landing on the ground station supplied by the public grid. Kite and ground station operated autonomously apart from receiving high-level commands (e.g. “launch now”, “land now”) from an engineer.
Over 100 successful un-/docking cycles
In addition to that, Kitekraft has now successfully completed over 100 undocking and docking cycles with its kite to/from the ground station. This accomplishment underscores the system's reliability and safety with regards to reliable and autonomous launch and landing, paving the way for harnessing wind energy from the skies even if wind conditions close to ground level are not ideal. Further, Kitekraft tested an optimized rotor setup with enhanced thrust performance and reduction in noise emissions. The kite was practically inaudible at the edge of the village of Oberbiberg during flight, even though the noise optimization capabilities are far from being exhausted.
First time Kitekraft fed energy into the German grid
This marks another significant milestone in the development and showcasing of the capabilities of Kitekraft’s technology. This grid-connected demonstrator with all its available features represents a crucial step toward the commercialization and market entry of Kitekraft systems. These milestones collectively symbolize Kitekraft's commitment to shaping a greener, more efficient future for wind energy. Upscaling in the near future is envisioned, starting from a 100kW kite for various applications, ultimately leading to multi-megawatt systems for utility-scale electricity production. As Kitekraft continues to advance sustainable energy solutions, the world anticipates a more efficient, environmentally friendly future for wind energy.
