E-PowerKite

„By 2030, humanity’s need for electricity will double.”

This is the conclusion BP (formerly known as British Petroleum) came to during their research. And if we want to save our planet in the process, we need to generate this amount by using such renewable energy sources that can help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the energy sector.

Based on kites, we created a mobile wind power plant. This is the E-Power Kite.

A device, bound to a point, collecting wind power up in the sky.
Our wind power generating kite can be used in the private sphere, as well as in the industrial sector.

How does it work?

It utilizes high altitude air currents. Then it transforms the nascent mechanical energy into electrical energy, relaying it to the fixed ground unit through a special cable. This unit then stores the energy or returns it to the electric grid.

The invention consists of 3 main units

1. KITE

It resembles a traditional kite, and can be circular, triangular or any polygonal shape. The rigid wings hold the body in the sky by utilizing the ascensional force created by wind currents. On top of the wings, there are several solar cells, which generate electricity to power the kite’s navigational functions.

2. CABLE

It creates connection and conveys electricity. When designing, it was important for it to be light and to have a high tensile strength.

3. DOCKING UNIT

The docking unit stores the relayed electricity in energy cells on the ground. It’s able to feed the generated electricity back into the electric grid, keep it in batteries, or - by utilizing energy converters or even hydrolysis - store it in hydrogen / oxygen tanks, then by burning the mentioned hydrogen and oxygen, generating electricity even if there’s no wind current. The docking unit also protects the out of use kite and stores the connecting cable. It also possesses winches, which can alter the kite’s altitude through the cable if it’s alerted by the in-built monitoring system.

Our wind power generating kite can be used in the private sphere, as well as in the industrial sector.

Even in sparsely populated areas – where current, traditional wind power plants operate – our device has a lot of potential. The E-Power Kite can be installed closer to houses and industrial buildings, as it doesn’t disturb the residents.

So, the E-Power Kite is a more reliable solution with lower energy attrition and low maintenance cost.

All this combined make the E-Power Kite a worthy competition to any traditional energy producer and can turn into an exemplary and sought-after market factor.

The story – How did the idea take off?

The idea of the E-Power Kite popped into the head of Endre Őri in 2009. At this time, a wind power generating kite was more like a hobby for him, but later, while planning and designing the device it became clear the concept had a lot more potential than he had previously thought. Looking at other attempts of this idea around the time – which were operating at a loss and were expensive – Endre saw a very real possibility in his own invention. Also, it generated an increasing amount of talk in scientific circles, all of which urged him to patent his idea.

In 2010 Endre invited his longtime friend, Gábor Deme into the project. Gábor had a lot of experience in financing and venture-capital investing, and in 2012, after many long nights of work, the duo patented the idea of the E-Power Kite. In the following years the first prototype was made.