Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) developer Kitemill has secured €2.5million from the EIC (European Innovation Council) to accelerate the commercial launch of its novel technology.
The multi-million-euro cash injection marks a significant milestone for Kitemill and its pioneering KM2 system (*see notes to editors) which received commendation from the EIC Jury for its ‘Technological Advantages’ and ‘Readiness for Market’.
The Norwegian firm’s disruptive 100kW wind energy device operates at high altitudes where winds are stronger and more stable, resulting in lower material use and higher energy availability compared to traditional wind turbines and solar power.
With around 1000 applicants pitching for the latest EIC Accelerator grant, only 68 companies were successful. Among the Norwegian companies, Kitemill was the sole representative to receive support.
The EU has previously backed Kitemill in two separate funding rounds allocating €3.35million – through the European Innovation Fund’s ‘Small Scale Infrastructure Projects’ initiative – plus a further €2.4million, in 2019 and 2022 respectively. The €3.35million grant will support the Norse Airborne Wind Energy Project (NAWEP)involving a 12-unit AWE array in the Greenflyway Zone between Sweden and Norway.
Earlier in 2024, Kitemill also secured €2million from Dutch investment group Expanding Dreams, together with fellow investors plus a tax relief grant.
A massive future windfall is also on the horizon with Kitemill now eligible for the EU’s ‘Blended Finance’ programme match-funding up to €8million of private investment.
Kitemill’s CEO Thomas Hårklau said the latest announcement demonstrates the EU’s firm commitment to Kitemill as a solution well aligned with the European Green Deal and Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA). “Our novel technology has now been accepted and approved by the EU through three separate funding rounds,” he said. “This latest tranche will help de-risk a critical phase for the KM2, including demonstration of the system’s performance in an operational environment. It also serves an important function to boost customer and public trust. But it doesn’t stop there. The ‘Blended Finance’ programme now provides a golden opportunity to unlock further financial resource to scale operations even more quickly.“
Established in 2008, Kitemill has spent more than a decade building world-class knowledge, IP and assets, with acquisitions including Scotland’s Kite Power Systems (KPS) and Dutch firm eKite, plus significant investments from En-Vision Europe Limited and Ignatia, alongside the EIC. The firm’s KM2 system offers a cost-effective solution with a minimal environmental footprint, meaning it can be installed almost anywhere.
EIC experts including the Jury highlighted several key advantages of Kitemill’s technology. This included ‘Technological Advantages’ where the Jury stated: “Among the different technologies proposed for airborne wind engines, the Kitemill concept stands out in terms of efficiency, modest use of rare resources/materials, range of applicability, scalability, and technological maturity.”
The EIC Jury also commented on Kitemill’s ‘Readiness for Market’ stating: “Having been developed and investigated for about 20 years, the Kitemill concept has now reached a level of technological maturity where scaling up and distribution to different users are within short/medium term reach. Since wind energy is expected to be one of the two main sources of renewable energy in the near future, this fits very well into the current trend of massive worldwide upscaling of this energy source and adds another technological scenario to this development.”
The EU is aiming to achieve an annual production capacity of 36 GW of wind power and 30 GW of solar power as part of its Green Deal. Mr Hårklau added that these value chains are currently dominated by imports, mainly from China, which represents a significant dilemma.
“The wind and solar industries use 5 to 10 times more materials than AWE, and this is before considering the material needs for necessary storage to handle the variability in production from these sources, especially solar power,” he said. “It will be extremely challenging for the EU and its member states to reach these ambitions with conventional wind and solar power. AWE will be far more scalable due to lower material consumption and opens up new and better wind resources, leading to higher availability and reduced storage needs. This represents an opportunity for Europe to secure industrial leadership in renewable energy.”
