Online Conference "Get More With Offshore Renewables 2024" was successfully organized on on February 28th during which a closer look on offshore renewables business was given.

Offshore renewable energy refers to the generation of electricity from renewable sources located in bodies of water, such as oceans and seas. This form of energy production has the potential to significantly contribute to the global energy mix, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote sustainable economic development.  

By tapping into the abundant renewable energy potential of oceans, countries can not only reduce their dependence on fossil fuels but also stimulate economic growth through the development of a "blue economy" centered around sustainable marine activities. This can include offshore renewable energy projects, marine transportation, aquaculture, coastal tourism, and more.

Overall, offshore renewable energy presents a promising opportunity to transition towards a more sustainable energy system while unlocking new economic opportunities related to the oceans. 

The conference delved into the most recent developments in offshore wind, wave power generation, offshore solar, and offshore hydrogen. Attendees will gain insights into how offshore wind can be combined with other renewable energy sources, how to overcome challenges and leverage the potential of offshore solar in remote areas, how wave energy can be harnessed for power generation, and what opportunities exist for offshore hydrogen production. 

SPEAKERS PROFILE

Dr. Jan Kroon, Senior Project Manager from TNO for Offshore Solar  

Chemist by training, who joined ECN Solar Energy in 1996 where he worked as project and program manager of Organic based PV technologies until June 2013. Since then and after the merge with TNO in April 2018, he has been active as senior project manager at TNO Solar Energy in the PV module technology and reliability group and coordinated the R&D activities on back contact Silicon cells and modules. Since January 2019 he is programme manager Floating PV at TNO Solar. He is an experienced coordinator and manager of several national and international (European) projects. 

Augusto Acioly,  Senior Project Manager from Elogen  

Actively leading onshore and offshore Green Hydrogen production projects, contributing to the global energy transition and the decarbonization of the industry. With over 15 years of international experience in the Oil & Gas and Energy sector, he take pride in successfully delivering complex and high-value projects across diverse countries and cultures.  

Daniel Reinhardt,  Sales and Partner Support Manager from Swimsol

Working in the solar energy sector with Swimsol for 7 years, where he is responsible for project and business development. His educational background is in Economics and International Relations, whereby he focused on energy related topics. Before joining Swimsol, Daniel was working in diplomatic missions, in trade promotion, and with a think tank dealing with various sustainability subjects.

Matt Dickson,  Head of Projects at CorPower Ocean

Head of Projects at CorPower Ocean with history of working across engineering consultancy, analysis, engineering design and project management in the energy industry. Skilled in offshore project development, program management and client engagement. Graduated with a 1st-class Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Chartered Engineer registered with the Engineering Council of the United Kingdom. A committed supporter of the transition to net zero carbon emissions and a clean planet for all. 🌎 

Roy Robinson, Chief Technology Officer at Excipio Energy

"Roy is a thought leader and inventor, always looking for the “better way”. He the CTO of Excipio Energy, is currently helping write the standards for offshore renewable energy, and is an invited speaker on the topics of Offshore Energy and the Blue Economy. He has spent more than 30 years working in offshore development and holds a firm conviction that the long-term success of renewable energy and the blue economy lies with integrated systems that are profitable enough to attract investment. In addition to English, he speaks Portuguese and some Spanish, has worked in 12 countries, and holds two patents for offshore renewable technologies. 

Srđan Sokolović, MBA, PhD, Owner of Sowa Solutions

 An expert with more than twelve years of work experience in a corporate energy company. Persistent in defining short-term and long-term strategies, business development and improving business efficiency in order to increase clients' profits. He is also an expert in the analysis of market segmentation, competition, prices and similar analyzes for the needs of market research and new product development. In addition to this, he also has extensive experience in developing new products by optimizing operational expenses and improving quality/price ratio. He has also expertise in creating PowerPoint presentations, instructions, various graphic displays and other technical documentation.

Expertise in organizing conferences and creating engaging and informative content. An experienced speaker with experience in speaking in international conferences on topics regarding sustainable development. Established writer with articles published in Times of Malta, Lubes Magazine, and Bulletin of Oil Nationally Committee of Serbia. 

AGENDA

11am EST / 17h CET

Opening of Conference (5 min)

Speaker: Srđan Sokolović, Owner of Sowa Solutions

11:05h EST / 17:05h CET

Presentation 01 " Challenges and potential of Offshore Solar in the Dutch North Sea" (30 min)

• State of the art developments Floating Solar in the Netherlands and Europe
• Description of various system concepts under development for offshore solar
• Description of the main technical challenges 
• Opportunities to combine offshore solar with offshore wind energy
• Roadmap offshore solar in Dutch North Sea 

Speaker: Dr. Jan Kroon, Senior Project Manager from TNO for Offshore Solar   

Q&A (10min)

11:45h EST / 17:45h CET

Presentation 02 " Offshore Hydrogen" (30min) 

•  Overview of Hydrogen Offshore Production
• Advantages of Offshore Hydrogen Production
• Integration with Offshore Ecosystems  
• Economic Competitiveness 
• Future Outlook  

Speaker: Augusto Acioly,  Senior Project Manager from Elogen  

Q&A (10min)

12:25h EST / 18:25h CET

Presentation 03 " Challenges and potential of Offshore Solar in Distant Places" (30min)

• Introduction and background of Swimsol: Spin-off of German solar company, identified huge potential for solar in the Maldives and other tropical islands, but problem of land-scarcity. Solution: marine floating PV;
• Brief explanation of technology / technical requirements and some particular challenges of marine floating PV;
• Discussions of economics and under which circumstances marine floating PV makes sense (and when not);
• Discussion of most promising geographical and functional applications for marine floating PV with focus on Asia and Africa.

Speaker:  Daniel Reinhardt,  Sales and Partner Support Manager from Swimsol  

Q&A (10min)

13:05h EST / 19:05h CET

Presentation 04 " Wave Power Generation"  (30min)

• The wave energy opportunity

                    The largest untapped source of clean energy. 

                    A consistent and complimentary power profile that brings stability to the clean energy mix, unlocking 24/7 renewables. 

• The wave energy challenge
• Technical breakthroughs making wave energy reliable and competitive

                    Storm survivability and efficient generation in regular ocean conditions

• Structured product verification – derisking market take up
• HiWave-5 demonstration in Portugal – latest and greatest results with the first commercial scale CorPower C4 system

          Energy system benefits – the value of consistency 

Speaker: Matt Dickson,  Head of Projects at CorPower Ocean

Q&A (10min)

13:45h EST / 19:45h CET

Presentation 05 "4in1, Offshore Wind, Wave, Currents and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Power Generation"  (30min)

• The massive, but so far wasted, potential of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE)
• What are the practical ORE technologies, and what is their development status?
• The watchtower mentality baked into ORE and how to break it down
• The Blue Economy and its mutually beneficial relationship to ORE
• The economic effect of focusing on value per installation, not power per device

Speaker: Roy Robinson, Chief Technology Officer at Excipio Energy

Q&A (10min)

14:25h EST / 20:25h CET

Closing Remarks (10 min)

14:35h EST / 20:35h CET

End of Conference