From Drones to Turbines: How Two Innovators Took Flight

Aerones was founded in 2018 by two Latvians, Dainis Kruze and Janis Putrams. While studying at university, they dreamed of creating something unique. To fund their project, they worked jobs alongside their studies. This dedication led to the establishment of Aerones, which now employs more than 120 people and is growing rapidly.

Dainis Kruze, who currently serves as the CEO of Aerones, has a history of developing successful technology products. Before Aerones, he worked on fleet management systems, energy monitoring solutions, and even heavy-lifting drones. He studied Computer Software Engineering at Latvijas Universitate and was part of the Y Combinator startup accelerator in 2018​. (Dainis Kruze)

Janis Putrams, the Co-Founder and CTO of Aerones, also has a background in technology and business strategy. He studied Computer Science at Latvijas Universitate and worked in various technical leadership roles before starting Aerones. He also served as the CEO of Intelligent Systems SIA and CTO of DELFI Latvia. (Janis Putrams)

Initially, Aerones focused on developing heavy-lift drones capable of carrying up to 200 kilograms. These drones were designed for various applications, including firefighting and rescue missions. However, recognizing a greater opportunity in the renewable energy sector, the founders pivoted to using their technology for wind turbine maintenance. Today, Aerones is a leading provider of robotic wind turbine maintenance and inspection services. 

A Billion-Dollar Breeze: Why Wind Turbine Maintenance is Booming

The wind turbine maintenance market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the global shift towards renewable energy sources. In 2022, the market was valued at approximately $15.86 billion and is projected to reach $27.24 billion by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.0% from 2023 to 2030. (Grand View Research)

This upward trend is attributed to the increasing installation of wind turbines worldwide, necessitating regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Components such as gears, control systems, and blades are prone to wear and tear, underscoring the importance of effective maintenance strategies.

Regionally, Asia Pacific leads the market, accounting for 42.6% of the global revenue in 2022. This dominance is largely due to substantial installations in China, which added 23 GW of capacity that year. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and those in Southeast Asia are also contributing to the market’s expansion.

Europe holds the second-largest market share, with significant offshore installations, particularly in the UK, Germany, and Denmark. The region’s focus on reducing environmental impacts has spurred investments in wind energy, thereby increasing the demand for maintenance services.

Aerones: The Repair Crew That Never Gets Winded

Aerones is a robotics company that aims to modernize operations and maintenance in the wind energy sector, making it more effective and sustainable. Their mission focuses on enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of wind energy through innovative robotic solutions.

The company addresses several critical challenges in wind turbine maintenance. Traditional methods often involve technicians working at great heights, which poses safety risks and leads to longer downtime. Their robotic systems mitigate these risks by performing tasks such as inspections, cleaning, and repairs more quickly and safely. This approach not only reduces the potential for accidents but also minimizes the time turbines are offline, thereby increasing energy production efficiency.

In terms of their business model, Aerones provides a comprehensive suite of services to wind farm operators. These services include lightning protection system inspections, internal and external blade inspections, blade cleaning, and leading-edge erosion repairs. By offering these services, Aerones helps operators maintain their turbines more effectively, leading to cost savings and improved performance. 

Blade Runners: Aerones’ Robotic Army at Work

Aerones provides a wide range of robotic solutions for wind turbine maintenance, offering safer, faster, and more efficient alternatives to traditional manual inspections and repairs. Their services cover inspections, cleaning, repairs, blade coating, and specialized offshore solutions. The company’s robotic technology ensures minimal downtime and enhances the longevity of wind turbines.

Inspection Services

Regular inspections are essential to maintaining the efficiency and safety of wind turbines. Aerones offers advanced robotic inspection systems that provide precise data and insights.

• Lightning Protection System (LPS) Inspection
  Aerones’ robots conduct full-loop conductivity tests to check the integrity of a turbine’s lightning protection system. They use down conductor gap scanning and an oxide cure method to prevent failures, reducing risks associated with lightning strikes​.
• Internal Blade Inspection
  The Blade Crawler, a remotely operated robotic system, performs internal scans of turbine blades. It captures 360-degree HD videos and LiDAR measurements, identifying defects such as cracks, delamination, or water accumulation​.
• Drone-Based External Blade Inspection
  Aerones uses high-resolution drones to inspect turbine blades externally without stopping the turbine. Their Zero Downtime Camera System rotates with the blades, capturing clear inspection images even in high-wind conditions​.
• Drainage Hole Cleaning
  Water accumulation inside blades can lead to structural damage. Their robotic system clears clogged drainage holes, preventing long-term blade deterioration​.
• Smart Inspection Bundle
  The Smart Inspection Bundle combines external, internal, and LPS inspections into a single, data-driven analysis. This system helps wind farm operators develop preventive maintenance plans using their cloud-based digital twin technology, which tracks and records turbine health​.

Cleaning Services

Their robotic cleaning solutions help maintain turbines for optimal energy production and regulatory compliance.

• Blade Cleaning
  Over time, turbine blades collect dirt, dust, and pollutants, reducing their aerodynamic efficiency. Their robotic blade cleaning system restores blade performance by removing these contaminants​.
• Tower Cleaning
  Oil leaks from turbine gearboxes can spill onto the tower, leading to corrosion and environmental hazards. Their robotic tower cleaning system safely removes these oil residues, preventing structural degradation and pollution​.

Repair Services

Wind turbine blades are constantly exposed to harsh environmental conditions, which can lead to erosion and damage. Aerones offers specialized robotic repair services to address these issues.

• Leading Edge Erosion Repair
  The Leading Edge Repair Robot restores turbine blade edges by applying a multi-step process: sanding, filler application, and protective coating. This process minimizes energy loss and extends the blade’s lifespan​.
• Ice-Phobic Coating Application
  In cold climates, ice accumulation on turbine blades can halt operations. Aerones applies an ice-phobic water-repellent coating to prevent ice buildup, maintaining turbine efficiency even in freezing temperatures​.

Offshore Wind Turbine Solutions

Maintaining offshore wind turbines presents unique challenges due to difficult access and harsh marine conditions. Aerones is developing remotely operated robotic systems for offshore maintenance, which will eliminate the need for rope access and minimize downtime.

• Offshore Robotic Blade Care System
  This system, currently in testing, will perform inspections and repairs up to six times faster than traditional methods. It aims to reduce CO₂ emissions, lower maintenance costs, and increase the lifespan of offshore wind farms​.

Commissioning & End-of-Warranty Inspections

To ensure wind turbines remain in peak condition from installation through their warranty period, Aerones offers pre-commissioning and end-of-warranty inspections.

• Pre-Commissioning Inspection
  Before turbines are operational, Aerones performs robotic blade testing to verify that no damage occurred during transportation or construction​.
• End-of-Warranty Inspection
  Before a manufacturer’s warranty expires, Aerones conducts detailed inspections to detect defects, check LPS functionality, and recommend repairs. Their ultrasonic blade scanning and drone-based assessments ensure that no small issue is overlooked​.

The AI Wind Whisperer: How Aerones’ Tech Keeps Turbines Spinning

Aerones employs advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform wind turbine maintenance, enhancing efficiency, safety, and data-driven decision-making. Their proprietary robotic platform is designed for comprehensive wind turbine care, performing tasks such as inspections, cleaning, repairs, and coatings. This modular system reduces turbine downtime and minimizes risks associated with manual labor.

For inspection services, Aerones utilizes specialized robotic tools to assess the health of a turbine’s Lightning Protection System (LPS). These robots conduct full-loop conductivity tests, detect down conductor damages, and repair oxidation of receptor wires, ensuring the system’s integrity. In cleaning operations, their robots efficiently remove contaminants from turbine blades and towers. The blade cleaning system restores aerodynamic performance by eliminating dirt and debris, while the tower cleaning system addresses oil leaks and other pollutants that can lead to structural issues.

Their repair services address common turbine issues through their robotic systems. The Leading Edge Repair Robot restores turbine blade edges by applying a multi-step process: sanding, filler application, and protective coating. This process minimizes energy loss and extends the blade’s lifespan. In cold climates, ice accumulation on turbine blades can halt operations. Aerones applies an ice-phobic water-repellent coating to prevent ice buildup, maintaining turbine efficiency even in freezing temperatures.

Aerones is also developing remotely operated robotic systems for offshore wind turbine maintenance, aiming to eliminate the need for rope access and minimize downtime. This offshore robotic blade care system is designed to perform inspections and repairs up to six times faster than traditional methods, reducing CO₂ emissions and lowering maintenance costs. By integrating AI, their robots collect vast amounts of data to train algorithms that optimize inspection and repair schedules. This data-driven approach supports predictive maintenance strategies, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of wind turbine operations. 

Riding High: How Aerones is Sweeping Up Awards and Market Share

In 2022, Aerones received the Baltic Sustainability Innovation Award in two categories: Green Innovation among startups and Renewable Energy for their commitment to sustainable practices and its innovative contributions to the renewable energy sector. (Labs of Latvia)

In 2024, Aerones was honored with the German-Baltic Business Award, further acknowledging their excellence in business innovation and cross-border collaboration. Aerones secured a €4.4 million grant from the European Union’s Innovation Fund in 2024. This funding supports the deployment of advanced robotic systems for wind turbine blade repairs, aiming to reduce downtime and CO₂ emissions. (Aerones)

In 2019, Aerones secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund to develop offshore capabilities for its established onshore wind turbine blade inspection, maintenance, and repair solutions. The project was implemented over three years in close cooperation with consortium partner SIA Saunora (Latvia) and field trial partners, including offshore wind industry leader GE Renewable Energy and Tethys Energy Services (United Kingdom). (Aerones)

Their client portfolio includes major wind energy operators such as NextEra, GE, Vestas, Enel, and Siemens Gamesa. Collectively, these clients represent 50% of the world’s wind power capacity, underscoring Aerones’ significant market presence. (JEC)

Stronger Together: Aerones’ Wind-credible Partnerships

In the Scandinavian market, Aerones has partnered with Bladecare, a service provider specializing in wind turbine maintenance. This collaboration utilizes Aerones’ automated robots, equipped with versatile tools for tasks such as cleaning, blade inspection, and Lightning Protection System (LPS) assessments. Bladecare’s regional focus complements Aerones’ technological capabilities, ensuring comprehensive service delivery in Sweden and neighboring countries. (Aerones)

Serving the Benelux region, Bladebot represents Aerones, offering a local presence to support wind turbine manufacturers, park owners, maintenance companies, and management firms. This partnership ensures that robotic services are accessible and tailored to the specific needs of clients in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. (Aerones)

In Brazil, Aerones collaborates with Arthwind, a company formed by professionals with over a decade of experience in the wind sector. Arthwind brings innovation and technology to wind asset management, enhancing their service offerings in the South American market. (Aerones)

In the United Kingdom, Aerones has partnered with Bilfinger, an international industrial service provider. Bilfinger aims to increase the efficiency of plants in the process industry, ensure their availability, reduce emissions, and lower maintenance costs. This partnership allows Aerones to integrate its robotic solutions with Bilfinger’s extensive industry expertise, providing comprehensive maintenance services to wind farms across the UK. (Aerones)

In Denmark, Aerones collaborates with Kiwa, a company offering assurance, testing, inspection, certification, training, consultancy, and data services. Kiwa’s services create trust in customers’ products, services, processes, systems, and employees. This partnership enhances Aerones’ ability to deliver reliable and certified maintenance solutions to wind turbine operators in Denmark. (Aerones)

Aerones has also teamed up with Krakul, an Estonian developer of IoT and autonomous systems, to develop a prototype device for detecting open circuits in wind turbine lightning protection systems. Funded by an €80,000 grant from the European Union’s Silicon Eurocluster project, this collaboration focuses on creating a device that can detect open circuits with 500 mm accuracy using radio communication technology. The prototype will be tested and validated in a working environment, enabling efficient repair of wind turbine rotor blades and potentially benefiting other industries using lightning protection systems. (Aerones)

Dollars in the Wind: The Financial Tailwinds Behind Aerones’ Rise

Aerones has raised a total of $52.5 million across five funding rounds, with support from institutional investors, corporate backers, and angel investors. The company has received funding from 19 investors, including 15 institutional investors and 4 angel investors. (Tracxn)

Their most significant funding round was its Series A on December 27, 2022, where it raised $38.9 million. At the time, its trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue was $5.5 million. This round attracted major institutional investors, including Lightrock, Metaplanet, Blume Equity, Change Ventures, Future Positive Capital, and Pace Ventures. It also secured corporate backing from Franz Haniel & Cie and angel investment from Mantas Mikuckas. Legal firm COBALT facilitated the round.

Before that, Aerones closed a $9 million seed round on April 28, 2022, with a TTM revenue of $2.2 million. Investors in this round included Future Positive Capital, Change Ventures, Metaplanet, Ecosummit, and Pace Ventures, with corporate support from Capitalia. The round also included angel investments from Mantas Mikuckas and Janis Berdigans.

The company also received two grants as prize money. The most recent was a $4.8 million grant on January 8, 2024. Earlier, on October 1, 2020, Aerones secured a $2 million grant from the European Union, at a time when its TTM revenue was $236,000.

In its early years, Aerones raised $1.6 million in seed funding on June 16, 2020, with investors including Change Ventures and Y Combinator. Corporate investor Sensum and angel investors Paul Buchheit and Janis Krums also contributed. Earlier, on August 6, 2019, Aerones received $3 million in seed funding from EIT InnoEnergy. In 2018, Y Combinator also backed Aerones in an undisclosed seed funding round.

Aerones has shown significant revenue growth over the years. In 2022, it reported $5.5 million in revenue, a major leap from $587,000 in 2021, $272,900 in 2020, and $53,300 in 2019.

Full Speed Ahead: The Future of Wind Energy is Robotic

Aerones is redefining wind turbine maintenance with robotics. The company develops advanced robotic systems that inspect, clean, and repair wind turbines. Their technology helps wind farm operators reduce downtime, improve safety, and extend the lifespan of turbines​.

Their robotic solutions replace risky manual work. Traditional turbine maintenance involves technicians working at dangerous heights, often requiring rope access and long shutdowns. Aerones’ robots eliminate these risks by performing tasks remotely, allowing turbines to remain operational during inspections​.

They offer a full range of turbine care services. Their robotic systems perform Lightning Protection System (LPS) inspections, internal and external blade inspections, drainage hole cleaning, leading-edge erosion repair, and ice-phobic coatings. These services ensure turbines function efficiently, even in extreme weather conditions​​.

If you liked this, check out other articles on Venture Kites. We cover startups, founders, and innovations shaping the future. Stay inspired and keep building!