Helena Schmidt

Biography:
Since May 2021, Helena Schmidt has been a PhD candidate in the Aerospace Engineering Faculty (Wind Energy Section) at TU Delft. Her PhD research is about the social acceptance of airborne wind energy. Helena graduated with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Leiden University in 2019 and received a second Master’s degree in Environmental Psychology from the University of Groningen in 2020. After her studies, she briefly worked for the Psychology for Sustainable Cities research group at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Helena is interested in how behavioural insights can foster pro-environmental action and sustainable transitions. She is especially curious about people’s engagement with and responses to energy technologies and systems. Being part of the NWO-funded research project NEON on accelerating the Dutch energy and mobility transition, Helena is one of the first researchers to investigate the acceptance of airborne wind energy. Furthermore, she contributes to the EU-Horizon project JustWind4All on just and effective wind energy governance. She is also an active member of the social acceptance work package in the International Energy Agency’s Wind Task 48 on airborne wind energy.

Research abstract:
Researchers and developers worldwide have been working for the past two decades on producing renewable electricity with automatic kites. This so-called airborne wind energy technology converts the lift forces of the kite into electric energy. The technology is expected to have multiple advantages over wind turbines: it can tap into the vast, unused wind resources above turbines; it uses up to 80% less materials than a turbine; and it can be more easily transported and (un)installed, thereby making it suitable for more temporary or remote applications (e.g., islands, mines). However, the success and adoption of airborne wind energy depend not only on technical, economic, and environmental aspects but also on social factors. In her PhD, Helena investigates what critical factors shape the acceptance of airborne wind energy at the local and socio-political levels. To this end, she has surveyed residents living close to an airborne wind energy site in Northern Germany. Further, she is interviewing various socio-political stakeholders to examine their experience with and perspective on airborne wind energy (e.g., utility companies, policymakers, regulators, public authorities, nature protection organizations, citizen and interest groups).

Personal note:
In her free time, Helena likes doing Yoga, spending time in nature, gardening, cooking, and exploring different countries and cities.