Aiming to install wind turbines in record time

For several years, Nekkar ASA has supplied ship lifts and equipment to ports around the world. In recent years, the company has established a dedicated development team in Kristiansand, focusing primarily on solutions for emerging industries and growth sectors.

One of their major initiatives is SkyWalker, a lifting system for installing wind turbines that could transform the wind power industry as we know it. They have our support through our Agder regional office.

'When you look at the bigger picture globally, we want to see as many wind turbines installed as possible. SkyWalker is a much more efficient solution than those used today,' says Anne-Line Aagedal, Business Controller and Head of Sustainability at Nekkar.

‘Through our support for this project, we are helping to put the green transition into practice. Almost everyone who works here has a background in Kristiansand’s oil services industry,’ says Aagedal.

SkyWalker is a lifting device that uses the turbine tower as a support structure to lift blades and other equipment to the top of the wind turbine. As its name suggests, it slowly 'walks' upwards towards the sky. This climbing technology means developers will soon no longer need cranes that are taller and heavier than the wind turbine itself, significantly reducing the impact on nature in and around the wind farm.

'Today, it takes up to 80 articulated lorries to set up a single crane for installing wind turbines. With SkyWalker, you only need 7–10,' says Mette Harv, Executive Vice President at Nekkar.

Because all loads are secured and lifted within a controlled frame, rather than suspended freely from a cable as is common today, SkyWalker also makes it possible to install wind turbines in far more challenging wind conditions. Together, these improvements deliver significant efficiency gains. Nekkar's calculations show that SkyWalker will make it possible to install 20 wind turbines 30–40 per cent faster than today.

'What our customers pay for is efficient installation. The main goal is to reduce the time it takes to install a wind farm,' says Harv.

With SkyWalker, Nekkar is repurposing technology it previously developed for assembling drilling rigs. The yellow gripping mechanism was previously used for pipe handling. A control mechanism originally developed to stabilise drillships in rough seas keeps loads balanced during lifting.

During the development of SkyWalker, we initially approved a preliminary project for Nekkar. In 2020, we awarded the company NOK 21 million in funding to carry out the main project. Since then, Nekkar has worked closely with us and industry partners to create a scaled-down test model.

'We have found Innovation Norway to be a very valuable sounding board,' says Harv.

Nekkar is now working on a full-scale prototype of SkyWalker. In the longer term, the aim is to develop a version that can also be used to install floating offshore wind turbines.

Jon Arne Rasmussen, Senior Adviser at our Agder office, has worked closely with Nekkar in recent years. He explains that this project is a strong fit for us.

‘SkyWalker involves significant risk, but if Nekkar succeeds in enabling wind turbines to be installed with far lower emissions and less impact on nature, this project could deliver major benefits for society,’ says Rasmussen.