==== IRENA report AWE excerpt and link ====

Airborne wind solutions 

Airborne wind solutions could be game changers by reducing the LCOE on bottom-fixed or floating wind farm sites. Airborne wind solutions are where the primary interaction with the wind happens at a point that is not rigidly connected to the foundation. Such systems can be classified by: OFFSHORE WIND 89 ● Altitude: boundary layer (0–3 000 m) or troposphere (3 000 – 19 000 m). ● Type of airfoil: lighter or heavier than air; rigid or flexible; drag-, lift- or rotorcraft-based. ● Generator location and type: ground or airborne; geared or direct drive. Devices typically either are static, using the speed of the wind flowing past them, or active, increasing the flow speed by moving themselves. Devices with generators on the ground typically use a system where the tether line connecting to the device is gradually let out, turning a drum connected to a generator. When the tether is at full extension, the device is put into low drag mode and pulled back to the ground station using the same arrangement, this time consuming energy. Challenges for the airborne wind energy solutions relate to cable loading (for airborne generators); the impact of lightning, due to the higher risk of strikes; aircraft and radar interference, due to moving higher in the atmosphere; safety in the event of fault or failure; and the impact of storms. Benefits include the increased scale and consistency of wind resources higher up and the decreased overall materials mass and cost. Examples of airborne wind solutions are provided in Figure 38 and Figure 39: Commercialisation is unlikely to take place before 2025, following further part-scale and full-scale demonstrator devices (onshore and offshore) and a pilot project. Leading players, such as Kite Power Solutions (UK), Figure 37: Floating vertical-axis wind turbines Source: Nenuphar, n.d. Figure 38: Example of an airborne wind solution using a rigid airfoil and airborne generators Source: Makani, n.d. 90 INNOVATION OUTLOOK: are suggesting a potential 50% reduction in the LCOE compared to conventional horizontal-axis turbine technology in five-years’ time, but it is likely that the ultimate benefit will be less. From the point of commercialisation, there are likely to be reasonable further reductions in the technology cost due to the lack of past experience with the aerodynamic and control elements of the technology and the wide range of optimisation opportunities available. Airborne wind has a potential benefit in terms of LCOE (goal A). Independent studies and supplier claims have suggested that savings of 50% are possible, but the scale of demonstration devices is such that there remains significant uncertainty in such figures. Due to lower overturning moments and lower foundation-mounted mass, airborne solutions are well suited to floating foundations, thereby offering the potential to open up new markets (goal C). With lower material use, lower structural loading (hence less impact during installation) and reduced avian impact, airborne wind also offers decreased environmental impact (goal D). With more technology located closer to the water level for maintenance and service, airborne wind also offers the op

Via email, Dr. Harrop generously offers all AWE developers free exhibition space at this event. Could be a great AWE event, if enough serious folks participate. A field-demo component to this event would be ideal, if there is a kite field nearby. Lets look forward to seeing IDTechEx's event maybe mark a major milestone in AWE R&D, or at maybe a nice stepping stone to a climactic 2018 SeaTac AWE conference aimed at BEV. In any case, the AWEC-involved US conference drought is finally breaking by IDTechEx's worthy vision and initiative

Contact the organizers directly to make arrangements, which hopefully include panels, talks, and exhibitor-guest passes, to maximize VIP attendance.

This is a review post, but comprehensive study has yet to be put up on the forum about the team's details.