A new innovative renewable electricity kite-based system is set to be demonstrated in Germany.

Global renewable giant RWE Renewables is working with SkySails Power to deploy a 120 square metre kite to capture the wind at heights of up to 400m to generate electricity.

The trial is part of a three-year pilot to evaluate the technology. Suitable locations in Germany are currently being investigated.

Harnessing air for electricity generation has been done for centuries using wind mills and turbines.

However, the SkySails Power system is entirely unique and uses the strong and steady wind in air layers of several hundred metres above the ground.

How it works

Part of the SkySails Power system consists of a ground station with a winch integrated with a generator.

During the kite’s ascent, the kite pulls the cable from the winch, and the built-in generator produces electricity from the rotational energy.

As soon as the cable reaches its maximum length, the retrieval phase begins and requires only a fraction of the energy generated during the power phase. Excepted output form the system is 100kW to 200kW.

“The light compact design of airborne wind energy systems means that the impact on people and the environment is minimal.

“The systems work very quietly, practically have no visible effect on the landscape and barely cast a shadow,” explains SkySails Power GmbH CEO Stephan Wrage.

Watch the video below