E.ON has announced that it will invest in the development of a demonstration site for airborne wind technology in County Mayo in Ireland, and that it entered into a collaboration agreement with Ampyx Power as the first user of the test site.
The agreement with Dutch Ampyx Power includes testing of its Airborne Wind Energy System. The technology developer’s initial 2MW commercial product will be tailored to repower the first generation offshore wind parks which were constructed in the early 2000’s, according to E.ON.
Wolbert Allaart , Ampyx Power’s Managing Director, said: “This cooperation with E.ON, one of the leading energy companies in the world, is a major milestone for our company. It is fundamental for us as it allows us to incorporate E.ON’s vast offshore wind expertise into our product design efforts.”
In October 2016 , Ampyx Power appointed Bernard van Hemert as project manager responsible for the research of the offshore application of PowerPlanes, autonomous tethered aircraft that generate wind power at sea, and for the realisation of the commercial prototype AP4.
Airborne wind technology has the potential to transform the global offshore wind generation market as airborne wind devices are cheaper to manufacture and easier to maintain than conventional wind turbines, according to E.ON, which further added that these devices are also easier to deploy in deeper waters surrounding countries such as Portugal, Japan and the United States.
The investment in a test site and the associated collaboration with Ampyx Power marks E.ON’s second commitment in the airborne wind energy domain, after the company invested in the Scotland-based airborne wind energy start-up company Kite Power Systems in December 2016 , together with Shell and Schlumberger.
“Airborne wind supports one of our overall targets to drive down cost for renewable energy. In addition to making airborne wind competitive to conventional wind power, we would like to work with authorities and legislators to pave the way for introducing this exciting technology and eventually make it eligible to participate in tendering processes,” said Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath , CEO E.ON Climate & Renewables.