Discussing Wind Turbines with Jens Gravgaard
Jens Gravgaard, the Project Development Director at Ørsted, is a passionate role player in the green energy field. Jens spoke to The Omar Project about the Ocean Wind project off the coast of New Jersey and how project managers and engineers can transition from oil and gas to renewable energy.
Introducing Jens Gravgaard
Jens started in the oil and gas industry in the 1980s. First, he visited a Danish oil field as a painter. Then, he was fascinated by the equipment, and the magnitude of the projects run in the ocean. After majoring in civil engineering at the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Florida, he worked for leading energy companies, such as Ramboll and the Danish Oil and the Natural Gas Corporation (DONG). Ramboll and DONG would both successfully transition from oil and gas into the renewable energy field.
In 2017, DONG became Ørsted, a green energy company that develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants. Ørsted employs over 6000 people and ranks as the world's second most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knight's 2021 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations index.
Jens was instrumental in securing the bid for Ocean Wind for Ørsted, New Jersey's first offshore wind project that delivers over 1,100 MW of clean energy to the renowned state.
The Importance of Wind Turbines
As of 2021, 162 offshore wind farms around the globe produce 35.3 gigawatts (GW) of energy. The world's largest offshore wind farm (Hornsea One) was commissioned in 2020 and will produce 1.2 GW of clean energy once complete.
As Jens explains, most offshore wind farms employ fixed foundation wind turbines reasonably close to the shore. Wind farms are limited by the depth of water they can be placed in and are usually anchored to the ocean floor using thick steel cylinders known as monopiles to support relevant platforms.
Monopiles can weigh up to a thousand tonnes and typically cannot go deeper than 50-60 meters. That said, floating wind turbines for deeper water exist but are in early development.
Offshore wind turbines are highly effective as wind speeds tend to be faster and steadier than on land, making them a cleaner and more reliable energy source. They’re also more beneficial as coastal areas tend to have higher energy needs than land and fewer natural oil resources. So, offshore wind turbines enable those areas to meet their energy needs from a convenient nearby source.
Furthermore, offshore wind turbines provide renewable domestic energy without consuming water nor emitting environmental pollutants or greenhouse gas like land-based farms.
And they bring significant economic activity to the area, including factories to build monopiles and turbines and maintenance operations, too. As Jens puts it, "the industry settles where early development happens," which is why many states are clamoring for offshore projects of their own.
As per Jens' interview, planning and building offshore wind turbines is highly complex. The consideration of the depth limitations and the need to co-exist with current activities in the marine space (e.g., military and fishing concerns, as well as the concerns of residents of ocean-facing properties) is the key to their successful completion.
Transitioning From Oil and Gas to Renewables
Jens also said that many skills utilized in the oil and gas industry are highly transferable to the renewable energy sector. The methodologies and execution are essentially the same as offshore oil and gas. For instance, when Ørsted transitioned from oil and natural gas to renewable energy, many roles transferred directly from one industry to the other easily.
On that note, engineers can expect to make that transition soon, from the moment various energy companies are planning their entrance into the carbon-neutral space. Additionally, there should be several roles for chemical engineers as the hydrogen economy starts accelerating, too.
Leadership Skills for Renewable Energy Project Managers and Project Developers
According to Jens, project managers that move to product development must focus on preparation. Ideas become tangible and set to deadlines, economies, time frames, and deliverables when you execute. In the project development stage, you have to maintain optionality and make decisions only when necessary.
Project developers don't make the big decisions. Instead, they collect the various perspectives to determine how to proceed collectively, letting others make the calls. As Jens says, it's "involving everyone in decisions, not just telling them what to do."
He also advises aspiring project developers to resist the temptation to make quick decisions and to put together a simple, noise-eliminating plan without the unnecessary details as a team. In this way, everyone gets on board and stays on board, fully understanding the reasoning behind each call.
"Get in a room together, discuss perspectives, and you'll find the decision makes itself," he stresses.
To find out more about Ocean Wind and Jens Gravgaard, listen to the Omar Project on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream your audio. Get in touch with the Omar Project here.