Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Hannover, Oldenburg, 21 June 2018. Within the scope of a project partnership, SkySails Power GmbH, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, EWE Offshore Service & Solutions GmbH, and Leibniz University Hannover are developing and testing a fully automated airborne wind energy system.
Airborne systems, such as kites, can harness renewable energy in higher air layers, where high-energy and especially stable wind speeds prevail. High-altitude wind technology could therefore become a visionary addition to conventional wind energy use. The objective of the research project "SkyPower100", which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), is to develop and test a fully automated airborne wind energy system with a nominal output of 100 kilowatts by 2020. The system is intended to work autonomously and start, land, and stow the kite automatically. It shall prove these skills for several months. During the pilot operation, the consortium intends to gain insights into the scaling of high-altitude wind power technology into the megawatt class on shore. On top of that, it wants to further improve the efficiency and reliability of the technology for future offshore use.
SkySails Power GmbH coordinates the project and contributes the know-how and operational experience in the field of automated kite systems. It is responsible for the development, production, installation and testing of the pilot system. EWE Offshore Service & Solution GmbH is responsible for the site search, project planning, approval, development, foundation, as well as for the grid connection of the demonstrator. The Karlsruhe-based energy company EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG is investigating the potential for high-altitude wind in the target markets and the respective approval situation in the project. The Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics at Leibniz University Hannover is responsible for the design and the investigation of the power train.
For further information on "SkyPower100", please visit the
following website: www.skypower100.de
Photos and footage of the functional model are available at:
https://www.skypower100.de/deutsch/fotos-footage/
Press contact
Press contact SkySails Power GmbH (Project coordinator)
Luisenweg 40
20537 Hamburg
email: press@skysails.com
Telephone +49 40 702 99 444
About SkySails Power GmbH
SkySails Power GmbH develops and markets systems that generate power from high-altitude wind energy - so called airborne wind energy systems. SkySails kites are a key technology for this new generation of wind energy.
The company benefits from 17 years of know-how of its parent company SkySails Group GmbH, that has developed the SkySails propulsion system for cargo ships. Skysails is the first company world-wide, that has succeeded in developing kite technology as an industrial application with kites as large as 400m² delivering up to 2,000kW of propulsion power.
The SkySails technology is patented worldwide and the company has a strong international network of strategic partners.
Further information can be found at: www.skysails-power.de
About EWE Offshore Service & Solutions GmbH
As a services company, EWE OSS advices, guides and supports its customers with offshore wind farm projects and offers solutions with proven 360° know-how
of the EWE Group. Planing, building and operating an offshore installation are complex tasks, which require profound expertise and years of experience.
The company was founded in 2012 and has turned from a pioneer to an experienced player in the offshore sector, by now - both at home and abroad. Currently, the multidisciplinary team of approximately 60 offshore specialists is involved in projects like alpha ventus, Riffgat, Gemini, and Trianel Windpark Borkum I & II. EWE OSS is a subsidiary of EWE AG.
Learn more online at www.ewe-oss.de and www.ewe.com.
About EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
With more then 21,000 employees, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG is one of the largest energy supply companies in Germany and Europe and approximately supplies 5.5 million customers with electricity, gas, and water, as well as with energy solutions and commercial energy services.
In 2013, EnBW responded to the substantial changes in conjunction with the German energy transition, by fundamentally revising the company''''s structure. For example, the EnBW 2020 strategy stipulates, that renewable energies will become a supporting pillar of the EnBW business by 2020. Furthermore, EnBW will strengthen its position as a sustainable and groundbreaking infrastructure partner of clients, citizens, and communities.
Further information can be found at: https://www.enbw.com/
About Leibniz University Hannover -Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics
The Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics (IAL) approximately consists of 45 research staff members, who conduct research under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Mertens and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd Ponick. The research subjects of the institute cover the entire field of electric drive technology, from microwatts to the multi megawatts range in the areas of electrical machinery and drive systems, as well as power electronics and drive control.
The focal points include the development of analytical and numerical calculation methods for electrical machinery, the simulation of transient processes in electric propulsions, as well as the electric, electromagnetic and thermal design of drive systems, and propulsion control.
Further information can be found at: https://www.ial.uni-hannover.de/
Note to editors:
For further information on the Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics, please contact Dr.-Ing. Jörn Steinbrink, from the IAL at Leibniz University Hannover (Tel.: +49 511 762 2864, email steinbrink@ial.uni-hannover.de.)
