My guest this episode is Lars Thaaning Pedersen, Chief Executive Officer of Vineyard Wind, soon to be the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind project. We begin our conversation with Lars and his background in the industry and with the company Vineyard Wind. We then devote most of our conversation to the Vineyard Wind project itself, its timeframe, where it stands in the permitting process, and some really interesting challenges it has faced and how it has addressed them. We close with a look at the economics of the offshore wind industry and some of the factors that affect it. Lars and I recorded this conversation at the end of May, 2019 – since that time the project has continued to progress through the permitting process and is anticipated to be only a couple of months away from starting construction. 

Recorded May 29, 2019. Published July 28, 2019. 

My guest this episode is Alejandro De Hoz, Vice President for Offshore Wind at Avangrid Renewables. We begin with Alejandro’s background and then look at Avangrid Renewables, and its parent company Iberdrola, one of the world’s largest electric power companies. We review Avangrid Renewables’ US offshore wind portfolio including Vineyard Wind, soon to be the first utility-scale offshore wind development in federal waters. Alejandro shares some of his perspective on the industry, comparing the European experience with the US experience and touching on port infrastructure, supply chain development and the workforce, and we close with Avangrid Renewable’s future plans. 

Recorded May 28, 2019. Published July 24, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Ditlev Engel, CEO of DNV GL Energy. We start our conversation by covering what DNV GL does and its participation in the US market. We get Ditlev’s perspective on the US supply chain, where he sees gaps and opportunities, and the importance of both the overall market size as well as a steady development schedule in order to maximize utilization of the facilities. We discuss the European experience, and how Ditlev sees the economics of offshore wind becoming more competitive, and we close by looking ahead to technological developments in floating turbines and digitalization, and how we will integrate all of this offshore wind power into our electric grid. 

References: 

• Energy Transition Outlook annual report 
• DNV-GL Talks Energy podcast series 

Recorded April 8, 2019. Published June 12, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Tim Fischer, Global Director of Offshore Wind for Ramboll. We start our conversation with Ramboll – its mission and its involvement in offshore wind. We then look at the state of the US market – what’s been driving its growth, and where Tim sees business opportunities. Then we look at the supply chain and the challenge the industry faces in delivering power at low cost while still meeting state requirements for in-state content. We then look at the implications of offshore wind for the US power grid, and how technological innovations may continue to shape the industry. And we close with Tim sharing his goals as a Board Member of the Oceantic Network. 

Recorded April 8, 2019. Published May 28, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Francesco Onorio, Head of Project Development for US Wind. We start the conversation with a brief overview of the company: how it’s involved in the US offshore wind sector, and its background as a part of Renexia and Toto Holding Group, a major civil infrastructure firm based in Italy. We then look at US Wind’s Maryland Offshore Wind Project. Francesco discusses where it is in the project timeline, when they hope to have the project complete, and the impact they expect it will have on the local economy. 

Then we shift gears and discuss the offshore wind sector more broadly. Francesco shares his thoughts on the benefits of the OREC financing approach in comparison with the Power Purchase Agreement approach, and we close with Francesco reflecting on the current state of offshore wind in the US, and how he sees it evolving. 

Recorded January 22, 2019. Published April 11, 2019. 

Our guest this episode is Jay Borkland, Senior Engineering Manager for Renewables at Lloyd’s Register Energy Americas. Lloyd’s Register has a long and rich maritime history which is well suited to participation in the growing US offshore wind market.Jay is a noted expert on port infrastructure for offshore wind, and that is the main focus of this episode. During the first half of our conversation, Jay goes into detail about the different types of port activities needed to support offshore wind and describes the four different categories of port facility: marshaling, manufacturing, service, and operations and maintenance. Then for the second part of our conversation we look specifically at the East Coast. I ask Jay how he sees the port infrastructure developing, and then I ask him to peer into his crystal ball and describe how he sees things playing out over the next few years. 

Recorded January 18, 2019. Published April 11, 2019.