Windswept

What Windswept does

Windswept (legal entity: Windswept and Interesting Limited, registered in Shetland, UK, company number SC439249) is a private, founder-led clean-energy hardware developer founded by Rod Read in 2013. The company is building airborne wind-energy systems — "Kite Turbines" — that exploit tensile mechanical design to achieve a projected power-to-weight ratio of 2kW/kg and a projected LCOE of 5p/kWh, roughly one-third that of an equivalent conventional turbine. Its planned commercial product is a modular, automated 50kW Kite Turbine targeting rural businesses with more than 100MWh of annual energy consumption, and it has also published open-source <1kW "Daisy" designs on GitHub, Hackaday, and via OSHWA.

Name

Windswept

Legal name

Windswept and Interesting Limited

Website

https://windswept.energy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Windswept is a UK-based hardware developer building airborne kite turbine systems for distributed wind energy, targeting rural businesses with a 50kW modular product and an open-source sub-1kW community design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Airborne Wind Energy Hardware

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611), Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336), Wind Electric Power Generation (221115)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced Wind Technology R&D (Floating Offshore, Airborne Wind, New Rotor/Blade Concepts) (EUAMAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wind Turbine OEMs & System Integration (Nacelle/Generator/Controls) (EUAMACAC), Offshore Wind Power Generation (Floating) (EUACAFAC)

Keywords

• Airborne wind energy
• Kite turbine technology
• Renewable energy hardware
• Distributed wind power
• Modular wind turbines

Headquarters

HQ city

Lerwick

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 50kW Kite Turbine Sales: Sale of modular and automated 50kW kite turbine commercial product to rural businesses. Product will generate reliable source of revenue allowing for R&D of larger systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Windswept designs and manufactures automated airborne wind energy hardware, centered on a modular 50kW Kite Turbine intended for rural businesses with more than 100MWh yearly energy demand. The system uses tensile, mechanical-autogyro kites on networked lines and anchors, has no need for foundations, roads, or towers, and targets a 5p/kWh LCOE. The company also publishes an open-source sub-1kW Daisy Kite Turbine (GitHub/Hackaday/OSHWA) and aims to scale to offshore "Network of Networks" utility farms.

Product overview

Windswept is developing Kite Turbine technology for wind energy generation. Their primary commercial offering is the 50kW Kite Turbine—a modular and automated system targeting rural businesses with significant energy needs. The company also provides an open source <1kW Daisy Kite Turbine on GitHub and Hackaday for enthusiasts and builders. The 50kW system is planned for production phase (Phase 3) starting 2028+, following ongoing reconfiguration to active lift technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 50kW Kite Turbine Windswept's first commercial product: a modular and automated 50kW kite turbine intended for rural businesses with more than 100 MWh annual energy demand. Projected LCOE of 5p/kWh (one-third the cost of an equivalent conventional turbine), 2 kW/kg power-to-weight ratio, no foundation/road/tower required, ground-level modular maintenance, and networked multi-line/multi-anchor safety architecture. Estimated to save users more than 20p/kWh on their energy bill (over £25,000 per year).
• Daisy Kite Turbine (<1kW, open source) Open-source, sub-1kW kite turbine design with publicly available control software (Daisy Kite Turbine Control on GitHub), enabling individual builders and enthusiasts to construct and test small turbines under 1kW capacity. Registered as open source hardware with OSHWA. Not a commercial revenue product — built to grow the developer community around Windswept's kite turbine IP.

Quantifiable outcome

• Projected LCOE of 5p/kWh - one-third the cost of equivalent conventional turbine
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University of StrathclydecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhD research partnership (2016-2020) that developed 60 kite turbine variants and defined the dynamic principle. Published peer-reviewed paper in Energies Journal on scaling dynamics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EnerKite: German company developing tethered airborne wind energy systems using ground-based generation. Direct peer in the European AWE ecosystem with similar technology approach (ground station + flying kite) and small-to-medium scale commercial focus.
• Kitepower: Dutch company developing a mobile 100kW airborne wind energy system for off-grid and remote applications. Direct competitor in the small-to-medium scale AWE segment targeting commercial and industrial customers, with focus on mobile deployment.
• SkySails: German company using large kites for ship propulsion and now grid-scale wind energy. AWE peer with longer operational history; while focused on different end markets, the underlying kite technology and tethered flight engineering are comparable.
• TwingTec: Swiss company developing crosswind kite power systems for utility-scale energy generation. Comparable as an AWE peer with focus on automated tethered flight, though at a more advanced stage of development with utility pilots underway.
• Kitemill: Norwegian company developing ground-based airborne wind energy systems using pumping kites. Directly comparable to Windswept as a small-scale AWE developer targeting commercial deployment, with a similar focus on automation and modular deployment.
• Ampyx Power: Dutch company developing ground-based AWE with rigid wing aircraft and ground generators. Direct peer in the AWE space with similar product approach (automatic tethered flight, ground generation) and commercialization focus.

Emerging players

• Windlift: US-based AWE company developing tethered airborne wind systems for distributed generation and military applications. Comparable as an emerging AWE peer, though focused on US Department of Defense use cases.
• Kitenergy: Italian AWE company developing ground-based systems with pumping kites. Peer in the European AWE space, though at a smaller scale and earlier stage of development, with similar technology fundamentals.
• X-Wind Power: German startup developing modular ground-based AWE systems targeting 100kW to multi-MW range. Emerging peer with overlapping technology focus (ground station, automated tethered flight) and similar commercial scaling approach.

Broad incumbents

• Vestas: Largest global wind turbine manufacturer with broad onshore and offshore wind portfolio. Broad incumbent in wind energy, providing context for the competitive landscape Windswept would compete in if its 50kW unit reaches production.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WindsweptEnergy
• GitHubgithub.com/rodread/DaisyKiteTurbineControl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2eAHVBBCoO19xBuGOY73Zw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WindsweptInteresting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/windswept-and-interesting-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Windswept