Airborne Wind Pioneer EnerKíte Hits Major Milestone
Enerkite’s airborne wind energy systems deliver twice the annual yield in comparison to a conventional wind turbine of the same rated power. © Enerkite
Berlin-based airborne wind energy pioneer EnerKíte has reached a crucial milestone in its journey toward commercial deployment. The deep-tech company has completed development of its EK100-10P ground station, which will enter demonstration operations with initial customers in 2026 following successful flight tests, according to the company's press release.
Simultaneously, EnerKíte is launching its own financing platform, enerkite-invest.de, in partnership with Conda, an experienced crowdinvesting pioneer with over ten years of market experience in the DACH region. The platform will enable company participation and future project financing, marking another step toward market readiness and supporting rapid scaling.
"With the EK100-10P, we've not only achieved our most ambitious development goal to date, but taken the decisive step toward commercialization," explains Florian Breipohl, CEO of EnerKíte. The mobile prototype is optimized for rapid deployment and temporary use, applicable everywhere from industrial self-supply to agricultural operations and island grids.The timing appears strategic. Germany became the first country worldwide to include airborne wind energy in its Renewable Energy Act (EEG) in 2024, while growing pressure for energy independence drives demand for reliable power solutions. EnerKíte's positioning as a provider of rapidly scalable, space-efficient onshore wind solutions addresses the need for baseload energy supply directly at customer sites.
Market interest is already strong. Without intensive sales activities, the company reports over 200 qualified purchase inquiries. A first system has been sold to precision manufacturer Seipp & Kehl, with pilot projects planned involving Tegel Projekt GmbH, e.disnatur, and Volkswagen Group Charging.
The new crowdfunding campaign combines performance-based participation with fixed annual base interest, targeting €1.5 million to implement customer demonstration operations. Since its founding, EnerKíte has successfully engaged crowd investors, with over 1,500 people participating in various campaigns, raising more than €6.5 million of the company's total €19.6 million in funding.