Norway plans towerless wind plant where tethered power kites fly above 1,000 feet and generate electricity from the ground
As you stand in a field close to the coast of Norway, you will look up into nothingness where you would expect to see the turbine, but what you will actually see is the kite flying in the sky at hundreds of feet, pulling the tether taut in the process.
This kite serves as the power plant.
Kitemill, a Norwegian company, is working to construct an alternative wind energy technology system using kites to fly above 1,148 feet to harness electrical energy from a generator on the ground.
Greater steadiness of the wind means a greater capacity factor, which leads to more reliable production of electric power without any breaks due to the lack of wind.
A wind farm with no towers
Think of a traditional wind energy plant where there are white towers and turbines that are about the size of a football field. Think of removing all that. What is there in the system developed by Kitemill in Norway? Nothing like that.
It is really quite simple—a kite is attached to a winch generator via the tether. When the kite is taken by the wind, it starts flying in a helical trajectory in the same direction, and the tether operates the generator on the ground. There are no towers, no nacelles, and no giant blades. Everything is happening on the ground.
And what finally comes out of it? It is a power station that, according to Kitemill, is “hardly visible from the ground.” Indeed, the fact that such an attempt to harness one of the most powerful sources of energy is hardly visible is quite intriguing. It is located at Flyplassveien 40, Vanse, Norway, and its name is NAWEP.
Why fly so high?
It is not just about the choice but a physical feature.
The wind, which could be utilized at high altitudes, is not only much more powerful, but it is also much steadier in comparison with the wind that could be used in traditional turbines at hub height. Thanks to the altitude, the kites in the Kitemill system could use a whole new source of wind power. Just for clarity, the height of the Eiffel Tower is 1,148 feet.
Greater steadiness of the wind means a greater capacity factor, which leads to more reliable production of electric power without any breaks due to the lack of wind. The steadiness is a key factor of grid integration, and high-altitude wind provides much more of it. There are some locations where it is impossible to provide a conventional turbine due to various reasons. However, for a kite system, there is a need for just a small station on the ground.
Doing more with far less material
One of the most notable assertions from Kitemill has to do with their material efficiency. In that respect, the company uses less than 10% of the materials that would be needed for utility-scale solar panels or traditional wind turbines for the generation of the same amount of power.
This is something to consider when it comes to implementing the technology. There will be less weight of steel and concrete involved, less land involved in manufacturing, and less land affected during the construction process. The energy source is far more environmentally friendly in comparison to others because the work is done with minimal environmental disruption. If at any point the equipment needs to be moved for any reason, it is possible to do so. However, once the tower is put up, it is there to stay.
The NAWEP project: From concept to concession
NAWEP is the abbreviation used for the name of the application for the concession from Kitemill. This application is concerned with the site Flyplassveien 40 in Vanse, Norway. The application is now available, and the revised version was made available in April 2026.
This development is highly institutionally important, according to Kitemill. First, the development is funded by the EU Innovation Fund under the EU ETS Grant No. 101038892. This means that the development has been identified by the European institutions as one worthy of considerable funding. Second, Kitemill is also funded by AWE-KM2 under the Horizon Europe Grant No. 101189207 and AWETRAIN under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Grant No. 101168734.
What this could mean for the future of wind energy
If Kitemill’s approach proves out at scale, the implications stretch well beyond one coastal field in Norway. Airborne wind energy could open up geographies that conventional turbines can never reach—remote coastlines, mountainous interiors, island communities, and regions where building a tower is simply impractical or too expensive.
This is NAWEP—the process of verification. Here the results of many years of research, EU financing, and engineering visions meet reality in the shape of wind, regulations, and power demand. It is a rather new technology, and any unbiased analysis will admit the idea that there were quite many technologies in the field of energy that had proved to be promising but could not succeed in their implementation under industrial conditions. The financing is real. And now it will become clear whether this kite may outperform the turbines of previous decades.
The energy world will watch carefully.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
