Zurich/Delft – Dutch start-up Kitepower uses Ecospeed’s software to determine the carbon footprint of its innovative stunt kites. These mobile devices can be used to generate wind power.
Kitepower builds stunt kites to generate electricity from wind. To determine the carbon footprint, the Delft-based Dutch start-up uses software from Zurich-based Ecospeed AG, according to a media release. Kitepower has developed an XXL-sized stunt kite that can generate electricity for about 100 households, according to the release. The construction and design effort is less than for a conventional wind turbine and the device also has a much smaller carbon footprint, he said. This must be determined in the Netherlands before series production is approved.
“In some countries, including the Netherlands, the manufacturer of an energy generation system must prove in a benchmark with other solutions that its concept has the most favorable carbon footprint,” Johannes Peschel, co-founder of Kitepower, is quoted as saying. “There is no question that we easily meet this requirement compared to a conventional wind turbine and to a photovoltaic system or diesel generators. But we still have to specify it,” Peschel continues.
In order to meet this requirement, Kitepower purchased a license for Ecospeed AG’s software for determining the product carbon footprint (PCF). The software was convincing “because it is easy to use and maps all our requirements – also with regard to international markets,” Peschel continues. The PCF would be determined for the kite system as well as for a system with a battery buffer. Kitepower also plans to use the Ecospeed software to further optimize the turbines.
The stunt kite for generating wind power has been successfully tested on the Caribbean island of Aruba, according to the release. An endurance test is scheduled to begin in Ireland in the fall. ce/gba
