Reblade and the EIC Accelerator: A Drone to Fix Turbine Blades
Reblade, founded in Denmark in 2020, builds a drone that repairs leading-edge erosion on wind turbine blades. Its EIC project said all existing repair methods work on a vertical blade with rope-hanging robots or workers, whereas its drone "lands on a horisontally positioned blade", removing fall risks, and promised blades that could "generate energy with 10% higher output" after repair, according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €1,254,225 towards a €1.79 million project from March 2023 to October 2024. The only published report says the aim was a drone that repairs blades "in just 4½ hours" instead of 4½ days, and lists progress on control, force control, blade attachment, navigation, a precision dispensing system and quality assurance. On testing, it says only that "initial testing has demonstrated the potential and viability of our technology". Reblade's investor page says it will be open to investors in 2027.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Reblade ApS, CVR 41594411, Mørke
- Founded
- 14 August 2020
- Product
- Drone for leading-edge erosion repair
- Other public funding
- Eurostars, Eureka, EUDP (company statement)
- UK partner
- Geo-Structural Ltd, agent and pilot host
- Staff
- 12 on average (year to April 2025)
- EIC project
- 1 Mar 2023 to 31 Oct 2024, closed
Where Reblade Stands Now
Under InnoMatch, an EU-funded programme that pairs EIC awardees with buyers, the UK wind maintenance firm Geo-Structural is to "host and validate Reblade's system on operational turbines" and acts as Reblade's UK agent, according to the programme's pilot page. It says Geo-Structural has shown the technology to three major UK market players. The page describes a drone that lands precisely, sands, cleans and applies leading-edge protection coating. No results of the pilot have been published.
The record
A drone that lands on wind turbine blades
Reblade used EIC money to finish a drone that repairs leading-edge erosion on horizontally parked blades. CORDIS has only the first-period report. A UK pilot with Geo-Structural followed under an EIC-linked procurement programme.
- Aug 2020Reblade foundedMørke, Denmark
- Oct 2022EIC Accelerator cut-offFlying Repair Dronegrant first
- Mar 2023EIC project starts€1.79M project€1.25M grant
- Apr 2024Equity risesTo DKK 10.5M from DKK 0.3M
- Oct 2024EIC project endsNo final report published
- 2025-26UK pilotGeo-Structural hosts drone on operational turbines
CORDIS, Virk annual reports, InnoMatch and Reblade.
"Initial testing has demonstrated the potential and viability of our technology, generating interest in the market."
Reblade, report to the EICThe Technology: Repairing a Blade Lying Flat
Erosion of the leading edge reduces a blade's output; Reblade says repaired blades can generate 10% more. It parks the blade horizontally so a drone can land on it and carry tools for preparation and coating, which the company says allows repairs at higher wind speeds than rope teams. The report says technicians are scarce, citing a projected shortage of 150,000.
The promise
Turbine downtime for a leading-edge repair
Reblade says its drone repairs three blades in 4.5 hours, against 4.5 days for manual rope-access repair, a 90% cut in downtime.
CORDIS project 190125421, report.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The EIC project
The EU paid 70% of a €1.8M project
The Flying Repair Drone project ran from March 2023 to October 2024. CORDIS lists it as closed but publishes only the first-period report.
CORDIS project 190125421. Values in € millions.
The project was to finalise development of the drone and its onboard tools. The first-period report shows progress on each subsystem and calls quality control work partly ongoing. Nearly two years after the project ended, no final report is on CORDIS and no commercial repair service has been announced. CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Drone subsystemsDeliveredPer first-period report.
- Quality assurancePartlyPreliminary tests.
- Field validationOngoingUK pilot, no results.
- Commercial serviceUnverifiedNone announced.
The Money
Reblade's annual reports on Virk show equity rising from DKK 339,837 in April 2023 to DKK 10.5 million a year later and DKK 16.4 million in April 2025. Gross profit rose to DKK 8.5 million, and the company stayed close to break-even, losing DKK 163,344 in the latest year. It holds DKK 8.1 million in cash. Danish small-company accounts do not show revenue.
The accounts
Gross profit and equity, years to April
Danish gross profit combines revenue and other operating income, minus materials and external costs. The result was close to break-even in both years. Staff doubled to 12.
Reblade ApS annual reports, CVR 41594411, via Virk. Values in DKK millions.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Why no final report is published, who invested in Reblade's 2023 capital increase, whether the drone has repaired any commercial turbine and what the UK pilot found are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Europe's wind fleet needs blade maintenance that rope teams cannot scale to, the report argues. A drone that shortens repairs would raise output from existing turbines. The EIC funded a Danish attempt; its public track record is still thin.
What the project promised
A finished repair drone that fixes three blades in 4.5 hours with documented quality.
What the record shows
Subsystem progress, a UK pilot without results, growing equity and no final report.
The Verdict
Promising, not yet proven
Reblade is growing and has found a UK partner. Whether the EIC-funded drone repairs blades commercially at the promised speed has not been shown publicly.
Reblade and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
Industry
EnergyWind energy
- Focus
- Wind turbine operations
- Technologies
- Unmanned aircraft systems
- Robotics
- Keywords
- Leading-edge erosion
- Blade repair
- Wind turbines
- Rope access replacement