Autonomous Kite Power System WindLoom Completes 100-Day Continuous Run in Morocco: Sustained Wind Energy at 600 Meters
Dutch company Kitepower's WindLoom high-altitude kite power system completed a 100-day continuous test at the edge of Morocco's Sahara, averaging 100 kW output at a generation cost approximately 15% below local solar.
Autonomous Kite Power System WindLoom Completes 100-Day Continuous Run in Morocco: Sustained Wind Energy at 600 Meters
Dutch company Kitepower announced on November 26 that its WindLoom high-altitude kite power system completed a 100-day continuous operational test in Ouarzazate, Morocco. WindLoom consists of a 120-square-meter soft-wing kite, a tether, and a ground-based generator. The kite flies autonomously in a figure-eight pattern at altitudes of 600 to 800 meters, driving the ground generator through tether pull-and-recoil cycles.
During the 100-day test, WindLoom averaged 100 kilowatts of output with a capacity factor of 42% (the ratio of actual to theoretical maximum generation), surpassing the 22% achieved by local photovoltaic plants. Kitepower's CEO stated that the levelized cost of energy for the Morocco project was approximately $0.028 per kilowatt-hour, roughly 15% below newly built local solar installations.
WindLoom's advantages include a small footprint (requiring only a ground station the size of a parking space) and terrain insensitivity (deployable in mountains, deserts, and islands). Morocco's Energy Minister stated that the government plans to deploy 200 WindLoom units by 2032 to provide distributed clean energy to remote areas.
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