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.

€1.25MEIC grant, 70% of a €1.79M project
90%Claimed cut in repair downtime
12Average staff, year to April 2025
NoneFinal report on CORDIS

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.

"Initial testing has demonstrated the potential and viability of our technology, generating interest in the market."

Reblade, report to the EIC

The 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.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

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.

  1. Drone subsystemsDeliveredPer first-period report.
  2. Quality assurancePartlyPreliminary tests.
  3. Field validationOngoingUK pilot, no results.
  4. 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.

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.