 | |
| Type | B.V. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airborne wind energy |
| Founded | September 2008 |
| Founders | Bas Lansdorp, Dr. Richard Ruiterkamp |
| Headquarters | The Hague, the Netherlands |
Area served | Australia and the Netherlands |
Number of employees | 60 |
| Website | https://www.ampyxpower.com |
Ampyx Power was a Dutch company based in The Hague whose aim was to develop utility-scale airborne wind energy systems. The company was founded in 2008 by Bas Lansdorp and Dr. Richard Ruiterkamp.
Originally, the company was a team that former astronaut Wubbo Ockels formed at Delft University of Technology to investigate how heat, wind, and friction energy could be converted into electricity. The team consisted of several scientists, including team leader Richard Ruiterkamp and Wubbo Ockels. Bas Lansdorp later stepped in as a business manager.
The company's original prototypes were tethered flexible membrane kites but then began to work on fixed wing aircraft. The company now consists of 50 employees of which 40 are engineers. [1]
Ampyx Power proved its concept with three generations of prototypes (AP0 – AP2) constructed between 2009 and 2013. [2]
Ampyx Power showed that power production with a tethered aircraft is feasible with the first prototype, AP0.
Ampyx Power reached a significant milestone in 2012 by showing fully autonomous power production for the first time. During a 50-minute flight, the possibility of autonomous operation was demonstrated. Many investors, such as EON, noticed the company at this point and started to take interest in Ampyx Power take on wind power.
Ampyx Power started the design of the last prototype AP3. [2] The goal of AP3 was to prove scaling and robust continuous operation. Upon completion of AP3, the technology matured to a state that the commercial type can be defined. In December 2016 Orange Aircraft in Breda started the production of AP3. The company had also commissioned an assessment of the ecological impact of the technology. [3] The technology was used as an example for a life-cycle assessment of airborne wind energy. [4]
On April 17, 2017, Ampyx Power signed a cooperation agreement with German energy company EON. Under the contract, EON and Ampyx Power collaborated to realize an AP3 and AP4 test site in Ireland. Following successful demonstration of AP3 and AP4 the companies continued with the first offshore test site and the subsequent re-powering of early EON offshore projects to prolong the technical lifetime.
The cost of offshore wind power increases significantly with water depth, due to the increased costs of foundation works either bottom-fixed or floating. Due to its much smaller overturning moments, Ampyx Power system, which generates electricity from wind using an aircraft flying 500m high, could be deployed on relatively small anchored floating platforms, allowing economically possible deployment of AWES in places where deployment of conventional offshore wind turbines is economically or technically impossible.
The project, called the ‘Sea-Air-Farm’ project, was performed by a consortium of Ampyx Power, ECN (Energy Research Centre Netherlands), Marin (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands) and Mocean Offshore. [5] The consortium researched the offshore application of floating AWES and the possibilities and limitations of an entire airborne wind park with multiple systems, far-offshore and in deep waters. The project was carried out with subsidy of Topsector Energy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
ECN validated the aerodynamic tools, modelled installation and O&M scenarios, and calculated the yield and costs. Mocean Offshore designed the floating platform with its mooring and infield cables, which were tested in Marin's test basin. Ampyx Power designed the conceptual aircraft and the entire offshore wind farm, studied the certification framework, and managed the project.
The research indicates that a wind farm is technically possible and cost competitive. The figures are promising for the future of AWES, given the fact that MW-scale AWES are still at the very early stages of their technological and commercial development, and significant further cost reductions can be expected in the future. [6] A public summary was published in April 2018.
In 2021 a new funding round was prepared, but never realized. This resulted in a lack of funds. On April 19, 2022, Ampyx applied for, and received, a suspension of payments from the court of The Hague. However, management failed to find new investors, and on May 4 bankruptcy [7] was declared.
Wubbo Johannes Ockels was a Dutch physicist and astronaut with the European Space Agency who, in 1985, became the first Dutch citizen in space when he flew on STS-61-A as a payload specialist. He later became professor of aerospace engineering at Delft University of Technology.
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an extensive area. Wind farms can be either onshore or offshore.
The Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) is one of the largest energy research institute in Europe and holds a strong international position. With and for the market, ECN develops knowledge and technology that enable a transition to a sustainable energy system. The main office is located in Petten. ECN also has offices in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Wieringermeer, Brussels and China. ECN has a staff of about 550 employees.
An airborne wind turbine is a design concept for a wind turbine with a rotor supported in the air without a tower, thus benefiting from the higher velocity and persistence of wind at high altitudes, while avoiding the expense of tower construction, or the need for slip rings or yaw mechanism. An electrical generator may be on the ground or airborne. Challenges include safely suspending and maintaining turbines hundreds of meters off the ground in high winds and storms, transferring the harvested and/or generated power back to earth, and interference with aviation.
Airborne wind energy (AWE) is the direct use or generation of wind energy by the use of aerodynamic or aerostatic lift devices. AWE technology is able to harvest high altitude winds, in contrast to wind turbines, which use a rotor mounted on a tower.
E.ON UK is a British energy company and the largest supplier of energy and renewable electricity in the UK, following its acquisition of Npower. It is a subsidiary of E.ON of Germany and one of the Big Six energy suppliers. It was founded in 1989 as Powergen, and was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has been a subsidiary of E.ON since 1 July 2002.
Wind power has been used as long as humans have put sails into the wind. King Hammurabi's Codex already mentioned windmills for generating mechanical energy. Wind-powered machines used to grind grain and pump water — the windmill and wind pump — were developed in what is now Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan by the 9th century. Wind power was widely available and not confined to the banks of fast-flowing streams, or later, requiring sources of fuel. Wind-powered pumps drained the polders of the Netherlands, and in arid regions such as the American midwest or the Australian outback, wind pumps provided water for livestock and steam engines.
Wind power in California had initiative and early development during Governor Jerry Brown's first two terms in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The state's wind power capacity has grown by nearly 350% since 2001, when it was less than 1,700 MW. In 2016, wind energy supplied about 6.9% of California's total electricity needs, or enough to power more than 1.3 million households. Most of California's wind generation is found in the Tehachapi area of Kern County, California, with some large projects in Solano, Contra Costa and Riverside counties as well. California is among the states with the largest amount of installed wind power capacity. In recent years, California has lagged behind other states when it comes to the installation of wind power. It was ranked 4th overall for wind power electrical generation at the end of 2016 behind Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma. As of 2019, California had 5,973 megawatts (MW) of wind power generating capacity installed.
A laddermill kite system is an airborne wind turbine consisting of a long string or loop of power kites. The loop or string of kites would be launched in the air by the lifting force of the kites, until it is fully unrolled, and the top reaches a height determined by designers and operators; some designers have considered heights of about 30,000 feet, but the concept is not height-dependent. The laddermill method may use one endless loop, two endless loops, or more such loops.
The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd is a UKAS accredited test and research center focusing on wave and tidal power development based in the Orkney Islands, UK. The centre provides developers with the opportunity to test full-scale grid-connected prototype devices in unrivalled wave and tidal conditions.
A floating wind turbine is an offshore wind turbine mounted on a floating structure that allows the turbine to generate electricity in water depths where fixed-foundation turbines are not feasible. Floating wind farms have the potential to significantly increase the sea area available for offshore wind farms, especially in countries with limited shallow waters, such as Japan, France and the United States' West Coast. Locating wind farms further offshore can also reduce visual pollution, provide better accommodation for fishing and shipping lanes, and reach stronger and more consistent winds.
Wind power in Italy, at the end of 2015, consisted of more than 1,847 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 8,958 megawatts. Wind power contributed 5.4% of Italy electricity generation in 2015 (14,589 GWh). Italy is ranked as the world's tenth producer of wind power as of the end of 2016. Prospects for Italian wind energy beyond 2020 were positive, with several projects planned to go live before 2030.
Airborne Wind Energy Industry Association (AWEIA) was founded in 2009 to serve globally companies and institutions dedicated to converting wind energy for useful loads by use of tethered and free-flight aircraft ; the tethered and free-flight mode is in contrast to using non-tethered ground-connected wind turbines. Founders: Dave Santos, Joe Faust, John Oyebanji, and Wayne German. AWEIA is a member of Global Wind Energy Council. AWEIA is the first global-serving member of GWEC dedicated to airborne wind energy technology.
Makani Technologies LLC was an Alameda, California-based company that developed airborne wind turbines. Founded in 2006, Makani was acquired by Google in May 2013. In February 2020, Makani was shut down by Alphabet, Google's parent company.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to wind energy:
Bas Lansdorp is a Dutch entrepreneur best known as the co-founder and CEO of the defunct Mars One.
Wind power is a form of renewable energy in South Korea with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and particulate matter (PM) emissions caused by coal based power. After two oil crises dating back to the 1970s, the South Korean government needed to transition to renewable energy, which encouraged their first renewable energy law in 1987.
Kitepower is a registered trademark of the Dutch company Enevate B.V. developing mobile airborne wind power systems. Kitepower was founded in 2016 by Johannes Peschel and Roland Schmehl as a university spin-off from the Delft University of Technology’s airborne wind energy research group established by the former astronaut Wubbo Ockels. The company is located in Delft, Netherlands, and currently comprises 18 employees (2018).