The company behind a pioneering kite-powered renewable energy scheme has opened its head office in Glasgow with up to 25 jobs being created by the year end.
Kite Power Solutions (KPS) was granted the first consent of its kind when the firm was given permission to generate electricity through two kites tethered to spool drums.
As the kites fly in the wind the tethers are pulled from the spool drums turning the drums which drive electricity generators.
The company recently announced that it would establish a research and test site at West Freugh, near Stranraer.
E.ON, Schlumberger and Shell Technology Ventures all gave backing to the scheme last December.
KPS will initially be headquartered in the new Tontine Innovation Centre in Glasgow’s rapidly expanding innovation quarter.
The firm plans to recruit an additional 10 key posts, primarily engineers, in the first quarter of 2017.
The total headcount is expected to rise to 25 by the end of the first year in Scotland.
This will result in KPS moving to a permanent workspace in the city centre later in 2017.
KPS’s management and design engineering team will be based in Glasgow, with a further team of test and development engineers based at the test facility, 8km south east of Stranraer.
The company has already secured planning consent to deploy a 500kW power system from April this year.
This will lead to a planned onshore demonstration array of multiple 500kW systems within the next three to four years elsewhere in Scotland.
Thereafter, KPS will develop a 3MW onshore system at West Freugh and then deploy a similar sized power system in offshore waters.
David Ainsworth, KPS business development director said: “As an important hub for innovation in renewable energy, Glasgow ticked all the boxes as a new KPS head office location.
“As well as its proximity to our testing facility, the city offers a wealth of resources, expertise and talent in engineering design and manufacture, especially in low carbon industries, its academic institutions are world class and the facilities and support available to KPS through the Tontine Innovation Centre will prove invaluable as we enter this next exciting phase of technology development.
“That the Tontine was once home to the workshop of famous inventor James Watt is an added inspiration for us.”
Leader of Glasgow City Council Frank McAveety has welcomed the arrival of the firm.
He said: “The news that KPS will be making Glasgow the location for their head office is fantastic news for the city, underlining our attractiveness to innovative companies.
“It is no surprise that they have chosen to be based in The Tontine Innovation Centre, which will allow the opportunity for KPS to work collaboratively with other, similar organisations. We can look forward to exciting developments being made in Glasgow in this sector in the years to come.”
According to KPS, the lower costs associated with kite power generation mean that it would not rely on government subsidies.
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