Vestas Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Vestas Wind Systems, has invested in the unique Salamander Quick Lift Crane Technology to further strengthen its position as global leader in sustainable energy solutions and to reduce carbon emissions from its value chain. This new crane holds significant potential, both in sense of being safer to work with, as well as being simpler to bring to site, assemble and work with, compared to standard cranes. Relocation within the site and decommissioning is also faster. With the investment Vestas becomes the minority investor in Swedish S&L Access Systems, a subsidiary of Stena AB. The commitment marks the second official investment from Vestas Ventures in 2021. As recently as February, Vestas Ventures made its first investment in wood-technology company Modvion.
S&L Access Systems has developed the Salamander Quick Lift Crane Technology featuring a new top crane technology enabling heavy lifts on hub heights well beyond 200 metres. The moveable platforms are less wind sensitive when conducting uptower works, and the crane requires a smaller pad. The Salamander Quick Lift Crane Technology can be used for both installation and maintenance of legacy, current and future turbines. This innovative concept is based on proven technology. Reducing the number of trucks needed to bring in the installation crane by up to 75 percent as well as lowering total installation time, significant savings in CO2 emissions when compared to conventional cranes can be expected.
“Vestas Ventures was established to make venture investments in innovations that contribute to accelerating the green energy transition. The Salamander Quick Lift Crane Technology is primarily based on proven technology and enables safer and more cost-effective lifts of heavy components even at the highest hub heights when building, servicing, and maintaining wind turbines. By accelerating the market adoption of this high potential technology, we could reduce the cost of energy through reduced installation time, CO2 emissions and simplifying crane transportation, which contributes to maturing the industry in a more sustainable way,” said Bo Svoldgaard, Senior Vice President and Head of Innovation and Concepts at Vestas.
“We are excited to be partnering with Vestas in this unique product. Today, onshore wind turbines tend to be higher and soon to reach hub heights beyond 200 metres, wind power projects are more complex and often located in remote areas. As the importance of the wind turbine industry increases and turbines become taller and more powerful, we are well positioned with this unique crane solution enabling high safety and efficient lifting of high wind turbines in a more sustainable way, than traditionally, says Marcus Dahlinder, CEO of S&L Access Systems. “The concept demonstrator is already undergoing functionality tests while the prototype is under construction in close cooperation with our partners. Construction will be completed by the end of the year and testing will continue promptly,” Dahlinder continues.
S&L Access Systems provides highly effective lifting solutions to the wind turbine industry. The company is based in Sweden with Stena AB as majority shareholder. S&L Access Systems is a Green Tech company with strong ambitions to accelerate the clean energy transmission by bringing the wind turbine industry to the next level.
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service onshore and offshore wind turbines across the globe, and with more than 136 GW of wind turbines in 84 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled more than 117 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 29,000 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.
