Latvia’s Aerones secures €4M+ grant from EU to produce and deploy robots that repair wind turbine blades 

Riga, Latvia-based Aerones, a provider of robot-enabled wind turbine maintenance and inspections service, announced that it has secured €4,416,000 grant from the EU’s Innovation Fund.

The company will use the funds to produce and deploy the world’s first wind turbine blade leading edge repair robot sets. Aerones says the total budget of the project is €7,360,000.

The Innovation Fund is one of the largest funding programs worldwide, supporting deploying innovative and net-zero technologies. 

It is a crucial funding instrument for achieving the EU’s economy-wide goals. 

The fund focuses on the energy industry by aiming to bring solutions to decarbonise European industry and support its transition to climate neutrality while fostering competitiveness. 

The announcement comes over a year after raising €27M in growth capital in a round co-led by Lightrock and Haniel. 

What does Aerones solve?

Leading edge erosion is among the most common turbine blade issues.  As wind turbines become larger, the blade rotation speed at the tip of the blade can exceed 360 km/h. 

At high speeds, even rain can erode the turbine’s leading edge, reducing efficiency and annual energy production.

Aerones: Offers robotic wind turbine operations and maintenance

Founded by Dainis Kruze and Janis Putrams, Aerones specialises in robotic wind turbine operations and maintenance (O&M) services. 

It is the only company providing robotic turbine blade leading-edge repairs in more than 27 countries worldwide. 

Using unique patented robotic technology, crucial tasks are performed 3x – 6x faster, with up to 10x fewer idle stay days than using conventional methods. 

Aerones aims to use its proprietary technology to simplify and reduce the cost of inspections, thus accelerating the global transition to renewable energy.

The Latvian company currently includes services like inspection (external visual, internal blade, lighting protection, ultrasound), maintenance (painting, ice-phobic coating, blade, and tower cleaning), and repair (leading edge) services.

Dainis Kruze, co-founder & CEO of Aerones says “The repair of wind turbine blades is a critical aspect of maintaining the efficiency and sustainability of wind energy production. With the support of the Innovation Fund, Aerones is committed to deploying state-of-the-art technology to enhance the wind industry. Our project aims to achieve turbine repairs within 18 hours, significantly minimizing downtime and contributing to global climate goals. This innovative approach will lead to a 67% reduction in repair downtime, avoiding 161,349 tons of CO2 emissions over a decade and enabling the production of an additional 918,320 MWh of renewable electricity.”