Airborne drone test to produce electricity gets lift

Technology that uses flying drones to generate electricity from the wind is getting a boost from the German utility EON SE, which is backing a test project to look at whether it can help cut the costs of producing power offshore.

The machines stay airborne like kites to tap the energy of high-altitude wind currents. The force of the wind would push the drones, which would tug at a cable anchored to drive a power turbine. The technology still is in its early stages, with a handful of pilot projects around the world, including one bought up by Alphabet Inc. in 2013.

“EON has been looking into airborne wind technologies for five years, and we believe it has true game-changing potential,” said Frank Meyer, a senior vice president at the utility.

EON believes the industry could take off in the first half of the 2020s, according to spokesman Markus Nitschke. The company is planning to be an early adopter of the technology, he said by email. Airborne energy is projected to be cheaper than the mainstream form of offshore wind power if it is commercialized partly because it wouldn’t use as many materials.

Foundations and towers for traditional wind turbines make up about 30 percent of the capital required to install the equipment offshore, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Moving into deeper waters farther off the coast will increase these costs, although the windier conditions may balance this out by driving the turbines more often.

The drones are also expected to have a higher capacity factor because they fly higher where the winds are stronger, meaning they would produce power more often, according to Udo Zillmann, head of the Airborne Wind Energy Industry Network.

“Based on tests by EON, the capacity factor is about 70 percent,” Zillmann said. “Operating offshore wind parks are less than 50 percent. Based on that and the lower development costs, the end goal could be to halve the cost of offshore wind energy.”