Rope Partner recently announced a new partnership with Scottish firm Edge Solutions, to install the new “Armour Edge” protection for turbine blades – with a predicted lifespan of more than 20 years. Lucas Llado, Vice President of Business Development at Rope Partner and David Urch, Managing Director at Edge Solutions sat down for a Q&A with Wind Systems Magazine to discuss the origins of this partnership, the benefits of Armour Edge protection for turbine blades and the deployment of this innovative technology to the U.S. wind industry.

Rope Partner, an international leader in wind turbine blade repair, inspection and performance-enhancing services, announced today that it is moving its headquarters from Santa Cruz, California, to the outskirts of Denver. The growing company has obtained a 10,000-square-foot facility in South Denver, saying it is more centrally located for streamlined logistics, and offers more room for enhanced training, and storage of wind turbine service platforms when they are not in the field.

KCRW recently caught up with Matthew Kelly on the transition from rock climber to wind turbine technician.

Our team recently welcomed a photographer from the LA Times to see our talented wind technicians at work. Our highly trained at-height access technicians are second to none in consistently delivering value to our clients through clear communication and the ability to juggle the challenges a project may present. We're proud to see them showcased as part of the growing clean energy workforce.

Wind power continues to be a dominant player in the global energy markets. According to recent analysis by BloombergNEF, the wind market had a record setting year in 2020, commissioning nearly 100 gigawatts (GW) of new projects. As installed capacity of wind power continues to grow globally, the warranty period of a large number of wind turbines is coming to an end, making wind farm maintenance and repair a key component to maintaining the growing industry.