Aberdeen engineering consultancy Apollo is celebrating its innovation success in offshore renewables in a “watershed” year for the company.
Apollo recently picked up three nominations for the 2024 Scottish Renewables Green Energy Supply Chain Awards, set to take place on 22 August.
Speaking to Energy Voice, Apollo offshore renewables director Nigel Robinson said technology and business innovation was one of Apollo’s “strongest areas”.
“We are an innovative company, but we’re a consultancy and a consultancy tends to innovate on behalf of its clients,” he said.
“But I think in the last few years, because of the emergence of the energy transition and the growth of sustainable energy… it’s driven us to innovate ourselves.”
Apollo offshore renewables innovation
Robinson said the impetus for moving into offshore renewables came from a technology competition the Highlands and Islands Enterprise organised five years ago.
From there, Apollo developed its PALM Charger concept for electric marine service vessels, which the company will soon put through offshore trials on Orkney.
Other innovative concepts soon followed, with Apollo developing a floating fuel depot with a view to supporting future ScotWind projects.
Apollo has since spent more than £1 million on developing its PALM concept, but Robinson said it all stemmed from innovation competitions and support from organisations like the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership.
“We wouldn’t be doing [these innovation focused projects] without them, in all honesty,” Robinson said.
© Supplied by Apollo“We’re a consultancy, so we have a particular business model which is about selling our expertise to our customers on a client basis.
“It takes a lot of our business model up if we have to set aside a big research development and it’s not that easy for us to do.”
The company is now working to commercialise its innovations, but Robinson said delays for offshore wind developers are causing challenges for the supply chain.
A positive outcome from the next CfD Allocation Round will be “absolutely critical” for the renewables supply chain after the setback of AR5 last year, Robinson said.
“I think it’s going to be very critical to see a good response and hopefully we’ll see the contracts coming through,” he said.
“I’ve talked to one [wind] developer, and they said ‘we’re really interested in what you guys are saying, we know where to find you, we’re going to open our chequebooks in a couple years’ time’.
“If that’s set back another year, then that’s three years away. How do you build momentum? It’s absolutely critical that we see that coming through and building the commercial foundation on which the industry will grow.”
Electrification and floating wind
Apart from its existing expertise in oil and gas, Apollo sees offshore electrification and hydrogen as key areas for growth.
But it’s in floating wind where Apollo is looking to leverage its “strongest areas” in mooring and cables.
“A lot of the team, and myself included, cut our teeth on marine oil and gas, whether in rigs or FPSOs or subsea construction,” Robinson said.
© Supplied by Flotation Energy“That’s essential learning that can help the floating offshore renewable space as it scales up, and the amount of scale that they have to achieve in a very short space of time is quite formidable and there’s a need for understanding and not trying to reinvent the wheel.
“The renewable sector in fixed bottom wind has been very good at solving its own problems, it’s done amazing things, but the floating space is another level of complexity.”
Apollo also sees floating wind providing significant potential benefits for Aberdeen.
“Aberdeen juts into the North Sea, it’s got all that experience and intuition for the offshore environment and I think it will really come to the fore in the floating sector,” Robinson said.
Collaboration in Action
The firm is already working alongside the ORE Catapult, Global Energy Group and DOF on solving the “monumental challenges” of scaling up floating wind across installation and maintenance.
Apollo’s spirit of collaboration “makes for a stronger offer”, Robinson said.
“We know we’re good at certain things, we know where our strength lies, but we also know that perhaps there are others that are going to be good at other complementary areas,” he said.
© Supplied by Apollo“When the industry ramps up it’s going to need a supply chain and the supply chain needs to be not just a couple of companies that have got all the work because they know the subject, there needs to be a diversity in the supply chain.
“The more that we can build our position in teaming with others to offer options, I think [that] is the best route.”
‘Nimbleness and adaptability’
Having a relatively small team of 150 engineers working across all of the energy sectors Apollo operates in also allows the firm to deliver “nimbleness and adaptability”.
“Being able to react and think afresh and bring some new ideas comes in, and I think it’s easier if you’re an SME,” Robinson said.
“It’s the adaptability but coupled with a sufficient depth of resource so you can actually do what the client needs and deliver a commercially ready outcome.”
With all eyes in the supply chain on the upcoming AR6 auction, Robinson said he’s hopeful that momentum in the wind sector can spur more innovation at Apollo.
“We’re also dead keen to do more with our engineering knowledge and engineering frame agreements,” he said.
“It’s the lighting strike that’s ahead, the thunder is building to have these engineering frame agreements, because once you establish these relationships with your customers on a long term basis it’s exactly the same as oil and gas frame agreements.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing some of those coming out and we’re competing hard to take part in those.”
The Scottish Green Energy Supply Chain Awards ceremony takes place on 22nd August in Aberdeen.
A full list of finalists for the 2024 awards can be found here.
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