A COMPANY developing innovative kite power technology has opened a head office in Glasgow.
The move by Kite Power Systems (KPS) consolidates the company’s activities in Scotland, following confirmation of plans to establish a research and test facility on an MoD range near Stranraer and the announcement of £5 million of new investment from E.ON, Schlumberger, and Shell Technology Ventures.
KPS will initially be headquartered in the new Tontine innovation centre in the Merchant City.
It plans to recruit an additional 10 key employees, primarily engineers, in the first quarter of 2017.
The total headcount will rise to 25 by the end of the firm’s first year in Scotland, which will result in a move to a permanent workspace in the city centre.
KPS’s management and design engineering team will be based in Glasgow, with a team of test and development engineers based at the West Freugh test facility, 8km south-east of Stranraer.
Further technical support is being provided by Dumfries and Galloway based Natural Power Consultants.
The company has planning consent to deploy a 500kW power system from April.
KPS says its kite power technology has the potential to transform the global offshore wind generation market as it is cheaper to manufacture and requires less construction and installation materials than conventional wind turbines. Kite power systems can also be deployed onshore.
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