SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
WindSpider crane lifts offshore wind energy to new heights
- Published 26 May 2025; updated 30 September 2026; estimated reading time 3 minutes. Marked “Soon available”; listed for the Americas, Europe and Asia under Offshore wind / Installation and Operation and maintenance, and Energy. The page says the product is currently under development and aims for market entry in 2027.
- WindSpider is a modular, self-erecting lifting structure for installing and replacing major components on onshore and offshore wind turbines. It assembles around and uses the turbine tower as support, moving sections and equipment up/down the tower. The article describes blade installation with a dedicated tool and reverse-order demobilisation.
- It is designed to service fixed and floating offshore turbines on site at sea, and may be combined with vessels, barges and smaller jack-ups. The system is described as scalable to more than 1,500 metric tonnes of lifting capacity with no lifting-height restriction. These are design specifications for a product still under development, not operational results.
- The company argues that avoiding turbine transport back to port can reduce installation/repair time, operating costs and levelised energy costs. Using the tower as support is said to remove relative motion between crane and turbine and improve HSE/operability. No quantified cost or safety results are provided.
- WindSpider has participated in the FLOWTOM research project since 2022; wave-tank trials and digital modelling are cited as ongoing development work for maintenance of floating wind turbines. Target customers include wind developers, operators and vessel owners. The page cites a forecast of offshore wind installations exceeding 520 GW by 2040.
- Linked to SDGs 7 and 9.
- Contact: Kent Lynggaard Vinkel, CEO, KLV@windspider.com. Company: WINDSPIDER AS, Vestre Svanholmen 12, 4313 Sandnes, Norway; windspider.com.