Design and Economics of a Pumping KiteWind Park

Pietro Faggiani, Roland Schmehl

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedings/Edited volumeChapterScientificpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)
41 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The development of airborne wind energy is steadily progressing towards the market introduction of the technology. Even though the physical foundations of the various conversion concepts are well understood, the actual economic potential of distributed small-scale and centralized large-scale power generation under realworld conditions is still under investigation. In the present chapter we consider the clustering of units into a large kite wind park, specifically the spatial arrangement and collective operation. The analysis starts from a quasi-steady flight model of the kite to estimate the power production in pumping cycle operation. From the surface area and aerodynamic properties of the kite all other system parameters are determined. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the operation of a single unit and to derive its power curve. Based on this information multiple interconnected units are simulated and an economic model is added. The results show that a coordinated collective operation not only achieves a continuous net electricity output, but also decreases the LCOE from 106 to 96 /Mwh as consequence of economic scale effects. The prediction supports the substantial economic potential of pumping kite wind parks for large-scale power generation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAirborne Wind Energy
Subtitle of host publicationAdvances in Technology Development
EditorsRoland Schmehl
PublisherSpringer
Pages391-412
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)978-981-10-1947-0
ISBN (Print)9789811019463
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Publication series

NameGreen Energy and Technology
Number9789811019463
ISSN (Print)18653529
ISSN (Electronic)18653537

Bibliographical note

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.

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