E.ON has invested in Kite Power Solutions (KPS). This British start up company secured a new investment of approximately € 6 million. E.ON invested along with Schlumberger and Shell Technology Ventures. The investment will support KPS’s technical and commercial development of its high-altitude wind power generation technology.
Instead of a rotor, KPS’s technology is harvesting wind by using a sail comparable to kite surfing in altitudes up to 450 meters. This latest investment will support KPS’s plans to deploy a 500 kilowatt power system at West Freugh in Southwest Scotland next year, leading to an onshore demonstration array of multiple 500 kilowatt systems within the next four years. Thereafter, KPS will develop a 3 megawatt onshore system and then deploy a similar sized power system in offshore waters.