Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please briefly introduce yourself and your product!
Kite power: We build flying wind turbines. Such a system consists of a tethered electric aircraft, also called a kite. The kite has onboard ("flying") wind turbines. The kite flies in a figure-eight pattern to generate electrical energy from the wind. The kite is thus similar to the wingtip of a conventional wind turbine, which is the most effective part, as it covers the largest area. Our Kite powerHowever, kite power systems do not require hundreds of tons of concrete and steel for a tower and foundation, but rather just a thin electro-mechanical cable and software algorithms. In this sense, we are "digitizing" the energy generation itself: the kite is essentially a computer with wings. Logistics, installation, and inspections are much simpler and cheaper than with conventional wind turbines, even in hard-to-reach locations with little infrastructure. The kite can easily reach greater heights with stronger winds. Cost savings of over 50 percent compared to other energy sources are possible. Another advantage of this "digitization of concrete and steel" is that a kite power system is barely visible, meaning no tower or huge wings are necessary.
In 2019, we – André Frirdich (28), Christoph Drexler (29), Florian Bauer (31), and Max Isensee (31) – founded Kitekraft. Since 2013, Florian has been researching airborne wind power, first as a master's student and then as a doctoral student at the Chair of Electrical Drive Systems and Power Electronics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He is an electrical engineer and is responsible for electronics and software algorithms at Kitekraft. André and Christoph also wrote their master's theses on the topic. Both are mechanical engineers, André with a focus on aerodynamics. André and Christoph are accordingly responsible for the mechanical and aerodynamic components of Kitekraft system development. Max is an environmental engineer, has already worked in the startup scene and co-founded a climate protection organization. At Kitekraft, he is responsible for business development.
Not new: the principle of “Crosswind Kite Power”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Kite power: The principle of "crosswind kite power" was actually explained in a 1980 paper by Miles Lloyd. Since the 2000s, there has also been an increasing number of startups and research groups. Florian was, and still is, part of this community as a researcher and was able to delve into all the concepts and compare them. His goal was to determine whether airborne wind power really has the potential to make a significant contribution to renewable energy generation, and if so, what such an airborne wind turbine would look like.
This is precisely what he answered in his doctoral thesis. We are currently implementing the result: Kite power is the only solution that is technically and economically feasible from small scale (from approximately 10 kW) to very large scale (10 MW). We are leveraging this advantage by quickly commercializing the technology with revenue and customer and technology validation, and then scaling it up.
Munich Startup: What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Kite power: The biggest challenge is finding a robust and efficient combination of kite construction, sensors, actuators, and software algorithms. A Kitekraft system is a complex system, but once the solution has been found—we, the four engineers who founded Kitekraft, are working on this—it's easy to produce in large quantities and scale up.
Munich Startup: Let’s get to the point: How is business going?
Kite power: We're still developing and testing our 1:2 scale demonstrator. The relatively small dimensions allow for quick and inexpensive testing and iterations. Soon, however, we'll double the wingspan, which will give us more than four times the performance. Due to nonlinear effects, including aerodynamics, scaling the kite up is very lucrative.
First pilot plants planned for 2021
This 20 kW kite power system will be our market entry product, our "Tesla Roadster," so to speak. We are already planning pilot plants around Munich for next year (2021). Such a 20 kW kite power system is designed for microgrids that currently have virtually no wind power available, even in strong winds, because the logistics or visibility of a conventional wind turbine are not an economically viable solution.
We already have several letters of intent from microgrid developers with sales volumes in the tens of millions. So, we essentially just need to complete the development and we can sell directly. Such systems will also be available to farmers, rural businesses, or even private individuals with sufficient land. We will then gradually develop systems with capacities of 100 kW, 500 kW, and into the megawatt range, all the way up to 10 MW kiteKRAFT systems for grid connection and offshore wind farms.
Munich Startup: What does Munich mean to you?
Kite power: The Technische Universität München (TUM) and the startup scene around UnternehmerTUM and programs like Xpreneurs and Climate KIC are excellent. At the moment, we can EXIST Founder's Grant We use the TUM infrastructure, including offices, workshops, and IT. This not only saves costs but also a lot of time. Therefore, this location is truly ideal. Without these advantages, we probably wouldn't be as far along as we are now.
Munich Startup: How can your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Kite power: We will rapidly scale up kite power plants from the small kilowatt range to the megawatt range. The largest kite power plants will be at least as large as the largest conventional wind turbines.
A unicorn is a startup with an enterprise value of one billion euros. This translates to annual revenue of approximately 100 million euros. We would achieve this by selling just 20 turbines per year in the 10 MW size class, assuming a price of 0.50 euros/watt (roughly half the price of a conventional wind turbine).
Next financing round is coming up
It's important to understand that, in Germany and globally, wind power will be the backbone of an energy supply from 100 percent renewable sources. This will enable orders of magnitude higher sales figures from the market. Our investors also see this potential, especially Silicon Valley's Y Combinator, which has already produced several unicorns. Investors will soon have another opportunity to get involved, as we are currently planning our next financing round.
Munich Startup: Isar or English Garden?
Kite power: After long days and nights of testing, screwing, drilling, programming… both are good for regeneration.
