Aerones, a Latvia-based company providing robot-enabled wind turbine maintenance and inspection, has raised USD 30 million (EUR 27.7m) in growth capital to help it serve a rapidly growing market, it said on Monday.
The company will use the funding to scale its technical and sales functions, add more field-deployed robot service teams, grow its market presence and launch new services. It is currently present in North America, Europe and South America and is looking to broaden its reach to Africa and Australia.
The funding round was co-led by two new investors, growth equity firm Lightrock and family-owned investment firm Haniel. New investor Blume Equity and a number of existing investors also took part in the round.
Aerones says its robotic offering is faster, more efficient and safer than conventional solutions such as rope access technicians. Its customers include NextEra, GE, Vestas, Enel and Siemens Gamesa.
“Thanks to robotisation, we are promoting the longevity of wind turbines, optimising energy production, and freeing up resource to be allocated to other value-adding activities,” remarked Fabio Bosatelli, head of Automation and Robotics at Enel Green Power.
(USD 1 = EUR 0.925)
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