Wind Catching Systems

What Wind Catching Systems does

Wind Catching Systems AS is a privately held Norwegian energy technology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lysaker, Norway, developing the Windcatcher, a floating offshore wind platform that hosts multiple small (1 MW class) direct-drive permanent magnet turbines on a single semi-submersible trimaran floater. The system scales capacity from 40 MW to 126 MW by adding identical turbines rather than increasing the size of each turbine, and incorporates a patented elevator-based operations and maintenance system that can reach any turbine position for inspection, maintenance, or replacement without specialized vessels or cranes. The company claims the design delivers roughly 5x the electricity production of a 15 MW standalone turbine, an 80% reduction in acreage use versus conventional floating wind, and a 50-year design life with focus on recyclability. The DNV Approval in Principle for the 40 MW unit was secured in June 2024 following physical model testing at Stadt Towing Tank and engineering work with Aibel and Arup.

The company is pre-revenue and positions itself as an independent technology provider to the floating wind sector, targeting offshore wind developers, energy companies, and independent power producers in Norway, Germany, the UK, the US West Coast, and Asia. Revenue is expected to come from technology licensing fees and royalties on commercial deployments, supplemented by milestone payments, engineering services, and grants tied to demonstration projects. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Wind Catching Demo AS, houses the joint demonstration project with EnBW (EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG) off the coast of Øygarden, Norway, funded in large part by a NOK 1.2 billion Enova grant awarded in January 2025. Earlier capital includes a 2020 seed round from Ferd AS and North Energy ASA, and a June 2022 Series A of up to USD 10 million led by GM Ventures with Ferd, North Energy, and Havfonn participating, alongside additional Enova grants of NOK 22 million (September 2022) and NOK 9.3 million (February 2023).

The business is currently in technology qualification and demonstration phase rather than commercial sales. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales, with strategic partnerships with major energy companies (notably EnBW) for demonstration projects and an explicit target of subsidy-free floating wind deployment worldwide by the end of the decade. The management team includes co-founder and CEO Ole Heggheim, CFO Ronny Karlsen, CCO Magnus Bakken, and multiple VPs covering technical and supply chain, design, turbine systems, power generation, and industry and government affairs. Strategic investors (Ferd, North Energy, GM Ventures) hold board representation alongside the founders.

Name

Wind Catching Systems

Legal name

Wind Catching Systems AS

Website

https://windcatching.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wind Catching Systems AS is a Norwegian energy technology company developing the Windcatcher, a multi-turbine floating offshore wind platform. It licenses the technology to offshore wind developers and operates a wholly-owned demonstrator subsidiary targeting subsidy-free deployment by end of decade.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Floating Offshore Wind Technology

NAICS

Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Offshore Wind Power Generation (Floating) (EUACAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore Wind Substructures & Marine Engineering (Monopiles, Jackets, Floating) (EUAMACAE), Wind Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (Scheduled/Unscheduled) (EUAMACAH)

Keywords

• Floating offshore wind
• Wind energy technology
• Multi-turbine platform
• Renewable energy systems
• Floating wind turbines

Headquarters

HQ city

Lysaker

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Technology licensing: Wind Catching Systems positions itself as an independent technology provider to the floating wind sector. The company plans to license its Windcatcher technology to offshore wind developers and operators globally. Revenue will come from technology licensing fees and potentially royalties from commercial deployments.
2. Demonstration project collaboration: Working with energy companies like EnBW on demonstration projects. This may include technology development fees, engineering services, and milestone payments as the technology progresses toward commercialization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wind Catching Systems develops and plans to commercialize the Windcatcher, a floating offshore wind platform featuring multiple standardized direct-drive permanent magnet turbines (1 MW each) mounted on a single semi-submersible trimaran floater. The system scales from 40MW to 126MW capacity by adding identical turbines rather than increasing turbine size, paired with a patented elevator-based O&M system that allows at-sea turbine replacement without specialized crane vessels. The company is positioning itself as an independent technology provider licensing the Windcatcher platform to offshore wind developers worldwide.

Product overview

Wind Catching Systems offers the Windcatcher, a comprehensive floating offshore wind solution centered on a multi-rotor platform design. The core Windcatcher system combines standardized mass-produced turbines with an integrated elevator-based operations and maintenance system, all on a single floating platform. The technology scales by adding more identical turbines (40MW to 126MW) rather than increasing turbine size, reducing acreage use by 80% compared to conventional floating wind. The company is developing a 40MW demonstration project in Norway with partner EnBW, following DNV's Approval in Principle certification. The Windcatcher has a 50-year design life and enables affordable floating offshore wind deployment without subsidies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Windcatcher Floating Wind Platform A floating offshore wind power plant featuring a multi-turbine design on a semi-submersible trimaran floater. Available in configurations from 40MW to 126MW capacity, it maximizes electricity production per floating unit and includes a patented elevator-based O&M system for self-contained turbine replacement without specialized vessels. Targeted at offshore wind developers and energy companies seeking floating wind solutions for deep-water sites where bottom-fixed turbines are not feasible.
• Windcatcher Standardized Turbines Direct-drive permanent magnet wind turbines (1 MW each) designed for local mass production in any market region. These low-complexity, containerized machines enable flexible supply chains and are designed to be assembled in all relevant offshore wind markets. The standardized turbine design underpins the Windcatcher platform's scaling strategy by adding identical units rather than increasing turbine size.
• Windcatcher Demonstration Project (Øygarden) A 40MW Windcatcher unit being developed off the coast of Øygarden municipality, Norway, in the North Sea at approximately 300m water depth, 22km from shore. Joint project between Wind Catching Systems and EnBW (EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG), with grid connection planned at the new Øygarden transformer near Kollsnes. The project received DNV Approval in Principle in 2024 and is the first of four expected units, intended to qualify the technology for commercial scale deployment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% reduction in acreage use compared to conventional floating offshore wind
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint demonstration project with Wind Catching Demo AS for the Windcatcher floating wind project off Norwegian coast at Øygarden. EnBW is one of the world's largest offshore wind developers with 15 years of experience planning, building and operating offshore wind farms. The project is planned in approximately 300m water depth, 22km from shore with grid connection at Øygarden transformer.
• Aibel AScoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMain contractor for commercialization of Windcatching technology. Leading supplier in the European offshore wind segment. Supporting further development and concept verification.
• Institute for Energy Technology (IFE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for concept verification and technology development. Worked with Wind Catching Systems on initial design phase and continues to support development and testing.
• Axess GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationContracted to design and develop the equipment handling system - the key to WCS' patented operations and maintenance philosophy. Axess is a global services and solutions provider for offshore energy industries with over 20 offices worldwide. Brings experience from Hywind Tampen project.
• DNVcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party technical evaluation provider. Awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) for the 40MW Windcatcher design, assessing whether there are conceptual showstoppers or rule compliance aspects that need improvement. Indicates likelihood of design meeting applicable rule criteria for DNV classification.
• ArupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering partner supporting Windcatcher technology development with in-depth knowledge and experience in advanced simulations and design of offshore structures. Covered structural and marine design, stability and hydrodynamics, mooring system arrangement, layout and technical safety, and transport and installation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vestas: World's largest wind turbine OEM with the V236-15.0 MW offshore platform. Competes with WCS for the next generation of floating wind turbine supply and represents the scaled single-rotor alternative to WCS's multi-turbine architecture.
• Aker Solutions: Norwegian engineering and EPC incumbent with significant floating offshore wind ambitions. Overlaps with WCS on substructure design and marine engineering and is a natural commercialization/serial-production partner or competitor for floating wind platforms.
• Siemens Energy: Parent of Siemens Gamesa, one of the leading offshore wind turbine OEMs (SG 14-222 DD). Competes with WCS in floating wind through scaled direct-drive turbines and represents the established alternative path to higher-capacity floating wind.
• GE Vernova: Spun-off GE energy business including GE Renewable Energy and the Haliade-X offshore wind platform. Competes with WCS as an incumbent turbine OEM pursuing larger single-rotor designs for floating offshore wind.
• Iberdrola: Global utility with one of the largest offshore wind development pipelines via Avangrid. Comparable as a potential customer/partner for WCS's licensing model and represents the kind of utility-scale developer the Windcatcher is designed to serve.

Direct peers

• Principle Power: U.S.-based developer of the WindFloat semi-submersible floating wind platform. Closest direct competitor to WCS in floating wind technology licensing, serving the same offshore wind developer customer base with a similar pre-commercial multi-MW floating platform.
• BW Ideol: French floating wind technology company with the damping pool float concept and demonstrator projects in France and Japan. Directly comparable to WCS as a pure-play floating wind IP licensor targeting the same deep-water offshore wind market.
• Stiesdal Offshore Technologies: Danish company developing the TetraSpar floating wind demonstrator and other offshore wind innovations. Comparable as a Scandinavian floating wind technology developer with a similar engineering-led approach to alternative floater architectures.
• Hexicon: Swedish floating wind developer using a multi-turbine twin-tower design. Shares WCS's multi-rotor thesis for floating wind and competes for the same early-commercial floating wind project pipeline.
• Ocean Winds: EDP/Engie joint venture dedicated to floating and deep-water offshore wind. Comparable as a buyer and developer of floating wind technology, with active projects targeting the same subsidy-free floating wind economics WCS is pursuing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wind-catching-systems

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wind Catching Systems