Frida Knudsen, Green Volt Engineering Manager
The transition to renewable energy demands more than innovative technology – it requires the right people, coming together across borders and disciplines, to turn ambitious vision into reality. That’s exactly what we’re doing with Green Volt, the world’s first commercial-scale floating offshore windfarm, where cross-border collaboration has enabled us to overcome unprecedented technical challenges.
With floating offshore wind, instead of fixing turbines to the seabed, we mount them on floating substructures. This lets us tap into deeper waters where the wind is strongest and where traditional wind turbine foundations simply won’t work. A project of this magnitude requires a huge variety of engineering disciplines – electrical engineers, structural engineers and geological specialists, all working together across their respective workstreams. Each challenge demands precision, coordination and innovative problem-solving on a daily basis.
One thing that has really benefitted this project, and the wider renewables sector, is our decades of North Sea oil and gas expertise. Marine operations, large-scale project management, complex fabrication and offshore construction – all of these competencies translate directly to offshore wind. Many people now applying their skills to Green Volt honed them on challenging oil and gas projects, bringing invaluable experience to renewables.
Green Volt operates as an integrated team, uniting colleagues from Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn as part of a joint venture, built specifically to deliver this monumental project. The team spans Northern Europe, bringing together international expertise, coordinated through daily online collaboration and regular project meetings. A dedicated HQ in Aberdeen is on the way, which will make bringing everyone together even easier. The project’s strengths lie in the diversity of our team – people from different countries, varied technical backgrounds and mixed industry experiences contributing unique perspectives.
Working with an international team brings benefits beyond just technical delivery. You see different approaches to decision-making, take on new ways of working and honestly just become a more well-rounded professional through exposure to all these different perspectives. When you’re building something that’s never been done before, the innovation can’t just be in the technology, it has to be in how we manage, lead and collaborate too.
This approach to teamwork defines Green Volt’s identity and its impact. For aspiring engineers, renewable energy represents the future of power generation. The sector offers meaningful work contributing to climate solutions while providing stable, long-term career opportunities.
As floating offshore wind moves towards commercial scale, Green Volt is proving that bringing together diverse talent, transferable expertise and an innovative spirit creates the essential foundation for renewable energy’s next chapter.
