Ampyx Power

Ampyx Power is a young company located in The Hague, the Netherlands. The company was founded end of 2008 by Richard Ruiterkamp and Bas Lansdorp, Airborne Wind Energy experts from TU Delft. During 2009, Ampyx Power has developed the PowerPlane prototype with a subsidy from SenterNovem and an investment from two angel investors.
Ampyx Power analysis shows that Airborne Wind Energy systems have the potential to generate electricity at a quarter of the cost of conventional wind turbines and comparable to fossil fuel based technologies. The challenges to overcome in order to realize commercial systems are achievable since these have previously been solved in other areas of technology. The drivers for these lower costs are the simplicity of the system which leads to lower capital costs and the higher capacity factor due to the more consistent an higher velocity winds at greater altitudes. Apart from the economic returns, the realization of the PowerPlane system on a commercial scale will contribute to achieving renewable energy and CO2 emission targets.