how it works In engineering, somersaults aren’t very common. Advances are usu-ally achieved step by step, as part of a gradual evolution. However, this new installation system entails a leap in efficiency, reducing by up to 70% the cost of one of the most delicate operations in wind farm construction, in which massive cranes are used to hoist titanic blades that can exceed 100 meters in length and weigh dozens of tons. Then there’s the added difficulty of moving that heavy machinery to rugged terrain like a mountain ridge. If engineering seeks seemingly simple solutions to complex prob-lems, then BladeRunner offers a lifting mechanism so small it fits in a simple van and is installed directly on the wind turbine hub, the com-ponent that connects the blades to the turbine’s main shaft. From there, it lifts the blade in a vertical position so that it can be attached to the turbine. The lifting mechanism is anchored directly to the root of the blade rather than its surface, which minimizes the risk of damaging it. “This contributes to time and cost efficiency,” explains Javier Iriarte, an engineer at Nabrawind Technologies, the Pamplona-based compa-ny that developed the system. “BladeRunner can be quickly adapted to each blade, and raising and lowering can be done in the same day.” For a company like ACCIONA Energía, with thousands of turbines in operation and dozens of wind projects either underway or being tendered for, this is a competitive advantage. That’s why the compa-ny was a pioneer in its support for BladeRunner’s development, and why it’s using it in its own facilities, for instance on a wind farm in Aragon to lift a 70-meter-long, 20-ton Nordex N149 blade, the big-gest challenge yet taken on by the system, which had previously only been tested commercially with a blade six times lighter. Working with ACCIONA provides BladeRunner with a real-life lab for testing, meas-urement, and improvement. OPEN INNOVATION “In addition to reducing costs and time frames, the system offers us safety and operational flexibility, because turbines are getting taller