Electric power generation in wind farms with pumping kites: An economical analysis

The main contribution of this paper is to indicate the economical viability of a Pumping Kite (PK) system as an airborne wind energy approach for large-scale electricity generation. In our study case a 2 MW PK unit is compared to a horizontal-axis 3-bladed Wind Turbine (WT) of same rated power. The PK airfoil area corresponds to the area of the 3 blades, and the same aerodynamic characteristics were assumed. The PK capacity factor obtained is 45 %, compared to 31 % of the WT. Given conservative PK cost estimates we found the investment in a PK-based wind farm can be 74 % of that in a conventional wind farm. By adding 13 PKs to an existing wind farm with 21 WTs the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) practically doubles, whereas if each WT is replaced by a PK, the IRR is approximately multiplied by 3. We also show that PK wind farms can be economically attractive in locations where WTs are not.