Borealis Wind
BorealisWind provides a patented internal blade heating "System as a Service" for cold-climate wind turbines, sold as an annual subscription to wind farm operators in Canada, the US, and Northern Europe to prevent icing-related energy losses, downtime, and safety hazards.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersWaterloo, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Borealis Wind does
Borealis Wind (BorealisWind) is a Waterloo, Ontario-based cleantech company, founded in 2016 by Daniela Roeper, P.Eng., that developed a patented Ice Protection System (IPS) for wind turbines operating in cold and icing-prone climates. The IPS is an internal blade heating solution that uses lightweight FabricAir fabric ducts to circulate warm air from the blade root to tip, preventing ice formation and shedding accumulated ice from the exterior of the blade. The technology is engineered with turbulent flow and millimeter-scale perforations for optimized heat transfer, fits inside the blade's lightning protection envelope, and is delivered as a DNV-certified integrated package including blade heating, hub and nacelle control cabinets, electrical integration, and a partner Ice Conditions Monitoring System from Icetek. Retrofit installations can be completed up-tower in approximately one day per blade without cranes or blade swaps.
BorealisWind sells the IPS exclusively through a "System as a Service" (SaaS) subscription model that converts upfront capital expenditure into a flat annual operating expense, bundling hardware, up-tower installation, 24/7/365 monitoring, preventive maintenance, on-site service, availability warranty, and annual performance reporting into one recurring contract. The system is sold via direct enterprise field sales to cold-climate wind farm owners and operators, supported by content marketing, free icing-loss assessments, and presence at major industry conferences including Winterwind, CLEANPOWER, WindEnergy Hamburg, HUSUM WIND, and CanREA. Documented enterprise customers include Liberty Power (Amherst Island Wind Farm), Pattern Energy (Mont Sainte-Marguerite, Quebec, 15 units), and EDF Renewables Canada (Massif du Sud and Lac Alfred, scaled over 2019-2022). Reported field outcomes include 60-73% recovery of icing losses, 95% system availability, an 11% increase in annual energy production, and 16,225 MWh recovered for ~$1.2M CAD of additional operator revenue across the protected fleet during the 2024-25 winter season.
Since June 2023, BorealisWind operates as a wholly-owned product line of FabricAir, a Danish-headquartered fabric-based air distribution company established in 1973, with the founder serving as Vice President of the BorealisWind product line. FabricAir's global network of 16+ offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific extends BorealisWind's reach into cold-climate wind markets in Canada, the United States, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Germany, Denmark, and beyond. No external institutional funding is disclosed in the available source material.
Borealis Wind firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Borealis Wind
- Legal name
- FabricAir
- Website
- https://borealiswind.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BorealisWind provides a patented internal blade heating "System as a Service" for cold-climate wind turbines, sold as an annual subscription to wind farm operators in Canada, the US, and Northern Europe to prevent icing-related energy losses, downtime, and safety hazards.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Borealis Wind industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wind Turbine Ice Protection Systems
- NAICS
- Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (333611)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Operations Control & Dispatch (Remote Operations Centers, Curtailment, Compliance) (EUAMAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Advanced Wind Technology R&D (Floating Offshore, Airborne Wind, New Rotor/Blade Concepts) (EUAMAOAB)
Keywords
Where Borealis Wind is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterloo
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Borealis Wind business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- System as a Service (SaaS): Annual fee model covering complete ice protection solution including system hardware, installation, 24/7 monitoring, preventive maintenance, rapid support, system availability warranty, and annual reports. Converts CapEx into OpEx with no upfront capital investment for customers. Model includes full lifecycle service and eventual system replacement.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | System as a Service - All-Inclusive Annual Package |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Borealis Wind product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Borealis Wind sells the BorealisWind Ice Protection System (IPS), a patented internal blade heating solution for wind turbines that circulates warm air through FabricAir fabric ducts mounted inside each blade to prevent and remove ice accumulation. The system is delivered exclusively through a System as a Service (SaaS) subscription that bundles the DNV-certified hardware with installation, 24/7 monitoring, preventive maintenance, and an availability warranty for wind farm operators in cold climates.
Product overview
Borealis Wind offers a single unified product: the BorealisWind Ice Protection System (IPS), an internal blade heating solution for wind turbines. The system is offered exclusively through a 'System as a Service' (SaaS) model that bundles the DNV-certified hardware components (blade heating system, blade/hub/nacelle control cabinets, electrical integration, and Ice Conditions Monitoring System) with comprehensive services including installation, 24/7 monitoring, preventive maintenance, and annual reporting. The system utilizes FabricAir fabric ducts to distribute warm air throughout the blade from root to tip.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BorealisWind Ice Protection System (IPS) An internal blade heating solution that mounts inside each wind turbine blade to continuously monitor for icing, automatically activate at the first sign of ice, and circulate warm air through FabricAir fabric ducts from root to tip. Retrofittable to existing turbines or installable on new ones. Combines anti-icing and de-icing in one system. Designed for cold climate wind farm operators and owners.
- System as a Service (SaaS) Complete ice protection solution offered as a flat annual fee subscription covering DNV-certified hardware (blade heating system, blade/hub/nacelle control cabinets, customized electrical integration, Ice Conditions Monitoring System), full installation, 24/7/365 monitoring, preventive maintenance, on-site issue resolution, monitoring software access, availability warranty, and annual performance reports. Converts customer CapEx to OpEx with no upfront capital investment. Includes full lifecycle service and eventual system replacement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8-10% increase in annual energy production (AEP)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Borealis Wind
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Borealis Wind technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
Borealis Wind partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and core.
- FabricAirflagshipFabricAir, a global leader in fabric-based air distribution systems since 1973, acquired Borealis Wind in June 2023. Combination expanded FabricAir's solutions while extending BorealisWind's ability to help cold climate wind farms globally. Founder Daniela Roeper became VP of BorealisWind product line and joined FabricAir management team.
- EDF Renewables CanadamajorEDF Renewables Canada has progressively scaled up BorealisWind installations at Massif du Sud and Lac Alfred wind farms since 2019. Started with 2 turbines, expanded with additional systems in subsequent years demonstrating ongoing commitment to ice protection technology.
- IcetekcoreIcetek is the leading provider of ice detection systems in Canada. Partnership provides accurate icing detection through detection of water molecules in air that create conditions suitable for icing. Icetek systems communicate with BorealisWind IPS to proactively activate/deactivate for maximum efficiency. Ice detection sensor enables early detection before ice accumulation begins.
- Pattern EnergymajorPattern Energy deployed BorealisWind IPS on 15 turbines at Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind facility in Quebec. Expanded from initial 2-turbine implementation to 13 additional systems following successful results of 800 MWh recovered per turbine last winter.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Borealis Wind competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Hexion: Global supplier of epoxy resins and specialty chemicals for wind turbine blade manufacturing. Adjacent materials supplier to the wind blade ecosystem; while Hexion's icephobic coating and blade material innovations could compete with thermal heating approaches, it operates upstream in materials rather than as an ice protection system provider.
- Vaisala: Finnish measurement company providing ice detection sensors, weather stations, and wind resource assessment (including former Leosphere/Catch the Wind lidar-based ice detection technology). Serves as a complementary technology provider in the wind icing ecosystem rather than a direct competitor to BorealisWind's blade heating solution.
- Icetek: Canadian provider of Ice Conditions Monitoring Systems for wind farms, formally partnered with BorealisWind to integrate ice detection with IPS activation. Functions as a complementary technology provider rather than direct competitor, but represents the type of niche ice-detection specialist that could evolve into adjacent protection offerings.
Broad incumbents
- GE Vernova (GE Renewable Energy): US-headquartered wind turbine OEM (now under GE Vernova) offering cold-climate packages including blade de-icing options across onshore and offshore platforms. Competes for the same end-customer wallet as BorealisWind through new equipment sales rather than aftermarket retrofits.
- Vestas: Global #1 wind turbine OEM headquartered in Denmark, offering factory-integrated cold-climate packages with blade de-icing options for new turbines. Vestas competes in the same end-market (cold-climate wind energy production) as BorealisWind but as a full-scope turbine manufacturer, not a retrofit specialist.
- Enercon: German wind turbine OEM with proprietary ICE*DETECT ice detection system and integrated blade heating on direct-drive turbines. Serves the same cold-climate wind operator base but as a turbine manufacturer offering bundled cold-climate solutions to new and existing customers.
- Nordex Group: Hamburg-based wind turbine OEM with dedicated cold-climate variants (e.g., N149/5.X Cold Climate) featuring blade de-icing systems. Targets identical operator pain points in cold regions but via new turbine sales, making it a partial substitute for BorealisWind's retrofit value proposition.
- Suzlon Energy: India's largest wind turbine OEM with significant presence in cold-climate Asian markets (China, India). Offers cold-climate-ready turbines and competes broadly in the same wind energy value chain as BorealisWind, though primarily via new turbine sales rather than retrofits.
- Siemens Energy (formerly Siemens Gamesa): Major wind turbine OEM offering blade heating and cold-climate variants for onshore and offshore turbines (including SGRE's ArcticFox and similar packages). Competes for the same cold-climate wind dollar but through new-turbine sales rather than the retrofit aftermarket BorealisWind targets.
- LM Wind Power: World's largest independent wind turbine blade manufacturer (now part of GE) supplying blades to most major OEMs. Comparable as an adjacent supplier in the wind blade ecosystem; while LM doesn't sell complete ice protection systems, its blade engineering and OEM relationships shape the integration pathway BorealisWind competes against.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Borealis Wind social profiles
Digital presenceBorealis Wind compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Borealis Wind financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Borealis Wind leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Borealis Wind subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Borealis Wind funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Borealis Wind M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Borealis Wind
What does Borealis Wind do?
Borealis Wind sells the BorealisWind Ice Protection System (IPS), a patented internal blade heating solution for wind turbines that circulates warm air through FabricAir fabric ducts mounted inside each blade to prevent and remove ice accumulation. The system is delivered exclusively through a System as a Service (SaaS) subscription that bundles the DNV-certified hardware with installation, 24/7 monitoring, preventive maintenance, and an availability warranty for wind farm operators in cold climates.
Is Borealis Wind a public or private company?
Borealis Wind is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Borealis Wind founded?
Borealis Wind was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Borealis Wind based?
Borealis Wind is headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Borealis Wind make money?
One revenue line is on record: system as a Service (SaaS).
Who are Borealis Wind's main competitors?
Others on record are Hexion, Vaisala and Icetek. Broad incumbents are GE Vernova (GE Renewable Energy), Vestas, Enercon, Nordex Group, Suzlon Energy, Siemens Energy (formerly Siemens Gamesa) and LM Wind Power.
Does Borealis Wind have an API?
No public API is recorded for Borealis Wind.
What industry is Borealis Wind in?
Borealis Wind's product category is Wind Turbine Ice Protection Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAGAK, Operations Control & Dispatch (Remote Operations Centers, Curtailment, Compliance), with a secondary code of EUAMAOAB, Advanced Wind Technology R&D (Floating Offshore, Airborne Wind, New Rotor/Blade Concepts). Its NAICS code is 333611 and its SIC code is 3585.