Bladena goes from strength to strength after joining RES

Since being founded in 2011 as a spin-out from DTU Wind, Bladena has grown into a recognised industry innovator supporting turbine owners and operators worldwide. A key part of this success has been its active involvement in major collaborative projects that have advanced industry standards and improved turbine performance.

Common standards for longer blade lifetime

One such initiative was the EWIC (End of Warranty Inspection Concepts) project, which brought together wind turbine owners Vattenfall, E.ON and HOFOR, supported by The Blade Group Network of more than 30 owners, along with Energy Cluster Denmark, Bladena, Total Wind, Blaest, Kirt-Thomsen and FORCE Technology.

The project focused on advancing end-of-warranty inspection methods by incorporating internal inspections and NDT techniques such as thermography and ultrasound in critical blade areas. This collaboration helped establish a common approach to blade inspection, ultimately contributing to longer blade lifetimes, reduced downtime and lower LCoE across the sector.

Founder and CTO Find Mølholt Jensen continues to lead the Technical part of RES’ global digital solutions division. Reflecting on Bladena’s journey, he said:

“As a start-up, soft funding was absolutely crucial. Without it, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today. We are proud of how far we have come and excited about the next chapter as part of RES.”

As part of RES, Bladena will strengthen innovation in wind turbine blade engineering and continue developing next-generation inspection solutions capable of detecting both external and internal damage.

Find, added “We have unique knowledge of the structural damage that can occur in blades, and now we are taking that expertise forward on a global scale.”

Soft funding and cluster collaboration make the difference

Precisely the interplay between strong technology companies, global players and the Danish innovation ecosystem is at the core of Energy Cluster Denmark’s work and Bladena’s development is a clear example of what can happen when that succeeds.

Glenda Napier, CEO of Energy Cluster Denmark, points out that soft funding and cluster-based collaboration are a important for more companies to follow the same growth path as Bladena:

“Bladena shows what is possible when deep technical expertise is combined with the targeted use of soft funding and strong partnerships. Through projects such as EWIC, we at Energy Cluster Denmark create the framework for companies to test, validate and scale new solutions together with owners, suppliers and technology partners. This is exactly how we move industry standards and strengthen Danish energy technology in a global market.”

The acquisition builds on RES’ previous integrations of Anemo Analytics, Sulzer Schmid and Ingeteam Services, further expanding its digital and engineering capabilities. With more than 40 years of experience, RES has delivered 28 GW of renewable projects and supports 45 GW of operational assets globally, helping communities around the world access affordable zero carbon energy.