23 January 2026
Concurrent aerodynamic design of the wing and the turbines of airborne wind energy systems
A new MERIDIONAL's paper deals with the design of airborne wind energy kites. Discover it here.
MERIDIONAL’s researchers have just released the new paper “Concurrent aerodynamic design of the wing and the turbines of airborne wind energy systems”. As the title suggests, the work carried out by POLIMI and DTU deals with AWE “kites” or “windplanes” aerodynamic optimisation.
In fact, the design of the airborne wind energy system aircraft is crucial for improving power production. And MERIDIONAL has engaged with this issue, developing a model for the aerodynamics of various parts of the aircraft: onboard turbines, wings, and their interaction. Models have also been developed for the kite’s steadiness and far-wake.
As a result, this study leads to the definition of the optimal design for the aircraft, based on its wingspan.
The paper provides evidence that placing the turbines at the wing tips and rotating them inboard down increases the power production compared to other locations and rotation directions. Moreover, it demonstrates that a trapezoidal wing with constant twist maximizes power production.
These and further research results are reported in the full paper. Download it from MERIDIONAL’s resources.