On 15 June 2026, Airborne Wind Europe and the University of Porto hosted the webinar “Exploring Airborne Wind Energy Opportunities in Portugal and its Atlantic Islands”. The event brought together stakeholders from Portugal, Spain, Germany and other countries to discuss the latest developments in airborne wind energy ongoing research and innovation activities, commercialisation pathways, and opportunities for deployment across Portugal and the Atlantic Islands.
The webinar served as a pre-event to the AWEC 2026, which will take place in Porto from 24–26 June.
The European AWE landscape
The webinar opened with an overview of the European airborne wind energy sector by Kristian Petrick, Secretary General of Airborne Wind Europe. He presented the current state of the industry, highlighting the growing ecosystem of technology developers, research organisations and public stakeholders working to bring AWE to market.
Petrick explained how AWE systems work and highlighted the technology’s potential to provide decentralised and mobile renewable power solutions for applications such as energy communities, construction sites, disaster recovery operations and remote locations.
The road to market: The Kitepower experience
Sweder Reuchlin, from Kitepower, shared insights into the company’s commercialisation strategy and the evolving market opportunities for airborne wind energy.
His presentation focused on the growing demand for distributed renewable energy solutions driven by electrification, energy independence objectives and increasing grid congestion across Europe. Reuchlin emphasised the importance of identifying market-driven applications where airborne wind energy can address existing challenges today.
One of the most promising near-term applications discussed was construction site electrification. Construction projects often face limited grid access while simultaneously being required to reduce emissions. In this context, Kitepower is developing solutions capable of providing temporary, on-site, emission-free electricity. Reuchlin highlighted the ongoing work with Dutch construction company Dura Vermeer as an example of how AWE can help decarbonise construction activities while alleviating pressure on the electricity grid.
Airborne wind energy research and innovation at the University of Porto
Fernando Fontes presented more than a decade of airborne wind energy research carried out at the University of Porto through the UPWIND Research Group.
The presentation showcased the group’s work on control systems, optimisation, path planning, trajectory control and automatic take-off and landing technologies.
The University of Porto’s research activities have contributed to several national and European projects and are helping to establish Portugal as an emerging hub for airborne wind energy research and innovation.
Building an AWE company in Portugal: The UPWIND Energy journey
Luís Tiago Paiva concluded the speaker presentations by outlining the creation of UPWIND Energy, a spin-off company originating from the University of Porto’s research activities.
Paiva described how years of research have evolved into a commercial venture focused on delivering autonomous airborne wind energy solutions.
He highlighted several factors that make Portugal an attractive location for AWE development, including its strong wind resources, particularly in coastal and island regions, a mature renewable energy sector, supportive innovation programmes and a strong engineering and research ecosystem centred around the University of Porto.
As Paiva noted during the webinar, “Portugal is a great place to work with AWE.”
Engaging discussion on deployment and policy frameworks
The webinar concluded with an interactive discussion involving participants from industry, academia and the broader AWE community.
Among the attendees were Florian Breipohl from EnerKíte and Uli Dobler from Kite Dynamics, who contributed to the discussion and shared perspectives from their respective organisations. Breipohl also briefly introduced EnerKíte’s activities and technology during the Q&A session.
Participants exchanged views on several topics critical to the future deployment of airborne wind energy, including the integration of AWE systems into existing aerospace and airspace frameworks, potential feed-in tariff schemes and market mechanisms, and the role of public policy in supporting emerging renewable energy technologies.
The discussion highlighted the growing interest in airborne wind energy across Europe and the importance of continued collaboration between industry, research institutions and policymakers to accelerate the sector’s development.
With AWEC 2026 just around the corner, the webinar provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Portugal’s growing role within the global airborne wind energy community and to foster dialogue on the opportunities that airborne wind energy can bring to the country and its Atlantic Islands.