Enerkite wants to revolutionize wind turbines with flying kites

A German startup now wants to establish a possible revolution in the field of renewable energies. Flying kites are to be used as flying wind turbines. These could possibly replace classic wind turbines, as they produce twice as much electricity and also offer advantages in other respects.

Minimal effort meets high electricity production

Europe in general, and Germany in particular, needs to become less dependent on fossil fuels. The still ongoing Ukraine war has probably made this clearer than any event before. Renewable energies offer two advantages as an alternative. After all, they not only ensure self-sufficiency. They also protect the environment. The German startup Enerkite (official website) has now come up with a new invention that aims to reinvent the wind turbine. The basic idea is to catch the wind at higher altitudes in order to generate more energy. With the help of flying kites, altitudes of 200 to 300 meters are to be reached, where stronger air currents move.

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Since the wind turbine rotates in a special way, it should be able to be as energy efficient as possible in the process. But the height and rotation method are not the only keys to success. On top of that, the engineers are relying on a different design. Compared to conventional wind turbines, this should be able to save 90 percent in concrete and steel. Enerkite’s flying kites also appear to be ahead of photovoltaic technology. According to the startup, they can produce five times as much energy. However, since a lot is also happening in the field of solar technology, this big lead is likely to shrink soon. Indeed, a team of researchers from Sweden and Switzerland recently made breakthroughs in transparent and more powerful solar cells.

Ready for market launch

Enerkite is an East German success story. The startup, based in Kleinmachnow, Brandenburg, near Berlin, spent a long time tinkering with the perfect design for its flying kites. Now, however, it says it has outgrown the concept phase and is ready for market launch. From a report by E-driver, it appears that Enerkite has now already been able to successfully test its kites. With this sense of achievement in tow, the young company is now on the hunt for investors. As befits the year 2022, the startup is doing this not by door-to-door canvassing, but through a crowdfunding campaign, among other things. On top of that, however, willing small investors can also contribute directly with an investment sum.

Kites come in different sizes

In order to be able to meet different wishes, Enerkite would like to bring its flying kites in different versions into the trade. These differ not only in size and amount of energy produced. While the smallest version with 100 kW power is mobile and mounted on a truck, the flying kite with 500 kW power must be permanently installed. Given a length of just over six meters, this can be understood. The yield of the 500 kW kite is quite impressive.

It should be possible to produce 570 megawatts a year, which is equivalent to the consumption of just under 200 households. The third version of Enerkite is, of course, even larger, measuring about 12 meters. But while the dimensions are only equivalent to a double, Enerkite says the EKM1’s energy output is four times as large at 2,000 kW. If the startup has its way, the largest version will be able to be used, among other things, as an energy supply for smaller companies that want to become self-sufficient from other power suppliers.