The Dutch startup, Kitepower has secured €3 million for the further development of its airborne wind energy systems (AWES). The investment comes from the energy innovation fund ENERGIIQ, Stichting ifund, and Windhandel Beheer, each investing €1 million.
Kitepower’s mobile energy systems can be deployed in remote rural locations where environmental conditions make it more difficult to install conventional renewable energy systems. Kitepower, co-founded in 2016 by CEO Johannes Peschel and TU Delft associate professor Roland Schmehl, is a spin-off from the TU Delft’s kite power research group. The company has developed its 100kW AWES with a ‘Fast Track to Innovation’ grant from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 framework programme, guided by a mentoring partnership with tech incubator YES!Delft and with support from angel investor and wind energy expert Henk Hutting.