UK: ETI Appoints New Strategy Manager for Offshore Renewables

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has appointed Nick Clarke to the post of Strategy Manager, Offshore Renewables.

Nick will be responsible for the strategy of its offshore wind and marine technology programmes. He will work closely with Simon Cheeseman, the ETI’s Marine programme manager and Andrew Scott, the ETI’s Offshore Wind programme manager. He will report into Andrew Haslett, the ETI’s Director of Strategy.

The ETI has invested to date £60m in its offshore wind and £25m in its marine programmes. The offshore wind programme is focused on achieving significant cost reductions and enhanced reliability with the marine programme seeking to address key industry challenges by supporting the sea-trials of near commercial marine energy systems. For both programmes ETI is focusing on the development and demonstration of key technologies, systems and tools that support the acceleration of the two industries.

Nick, a Chartered Engineer has significant electrical power system design & integration and project engineering experience in the marine & offshore industry spanning more than 20 years, during which time he worked with Brush Electrical Machines, Alstom Power Conversion, Converteam and GE Power Conversion. Nick has spent the last four years as Chief Engineer for the Marine & Offshore business with Converteam and most recently with GE Power Conversion.

Commenting on his appointment, Nick Clarke, Strategy Manager, Offshore Renewables, said: “I am delighted to join the ETI working on such varied and interesting new technology programmes. Both offshore wind and marine are industries in their relative infancy. This provides a lot of potential to accelerate the development of new technology helping to build viable business propositions through cost reduction and increased reliability.”

Founded in 2007, the ETI is a public-private partnership between global energy and engineering companies – BP, Caterpillar, EDF, E.ON, Rolls-Royce, Shell – and the UK Government. Its role is to bring together engineering projects that accelerate the development of affordable, secure and sustainable technologies that helps the UK address its long term emissions reductions targets as well as delivering nearer term benefits.

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Press release, June 11, 2013; Image: ETI