EERA DeepWind

Astrid Bergmål was appointed as State Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy on June 20, 2023. Until then, she held the position of State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, a role she had filled since the Støre government took office in October of 2021. She has previously led Virke Reiseliv and has been a political advisor in the Norwegian Labour Party’s parliamentary group. From 2011-2012, she was a political advisor in the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. She was a deputy representative in the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) for Rogaland during the period 2001-2005. Astrid Bergmål is educated as a lawyer (University of Oslo, 2001-2007) specialising in European law and human rights.

Ms. Sæther worked as a political advisor for the Norwegian Labor Party’s parliamentary group from February 2022, before being appointed State Secretary. Prior to this, she worked for the Norwegian Agrarian Association as an advisor for more than six years. Ms. Sæther has also worked for Statnett, the non-profit industry organization Energy Norway, the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature and the Bellona Foundation. Elisabeth Sæther has an MSc in Political Science from the University of Oslo.

Jon Dugstad is Director Wind at Norwegian Energy Partners (NORWEP) and in his position he is heading the organisations efforts in offshore wind. After a long career in financial and strategic advisory, including to the energy industry, Jon joined NORWEP in 2009 and has been a major supporter of the growth of the Norwegian offshore wind industry and its international activities since. He frequently addresses energy and offshore wind topics at industry events. Jon is educated in Germany as a Diplom-Kaufmann (MBA).

Norwegian Energy Partners supports the Norwegian energy industry and has 320 partner companies with a strong base in offshore energy, of which roughly 200 are also offering innovative and cost reducing technologies and solutions to the offshore wind industry.

Ignacio Marti is Head of Division-Wind Energy Materials and Components at DTU Wind and Energy Systems in Denmark. He is also Coordinator of EERA JP Wind and vice Chair of ETIPWind. He was Program Manager for Offshore Wind at DTU Wind Energy and Chairman of IEA Wind TCP. He has over 25 years of experience in research organisations working with wind energy in Spain, the United Kingdom and Denmark. As Head of Division within DTU Wind in Denmark, he coordinates the work of more than 80 researchers spanning from nano scale and materials research to full scale testing of components. The research activities include the design-manufacturing-testing-operating of wind energy structures, with special focus on the development of research-based manufacturing and sustainability solutions for industry. As Coordinator of EERA JP Wind, he coordinates the largest European network of organizations working on wind energy research, with focus on enabling coordination and providing advice to public funding stakeholders.

Jan Kristian Haukeland is the EVP of Renewables at DOF. He joined DOF in 2011 and has more than 30 years’ experience in the subsea and shipping business. His career includes significant subsea project experience. Since 2018, Haukeland has been involved with all DOF’s offshore renewable energy projects, including the world’s largest floating offshore wind farm, Hywind Tampen.

Dr. Lena Kitzing is Associate Professor and Head of Section of Society, Markets and Policy at DTU Wind and Energy Systems. She is leading a multi-disciplinary team concerned with the transition to a sustainable energy system in a socially acceptable and economically feasible way. Lena has 15 years of experience in research, with a specialisation in energy economics and policy instrument design. Prior to that, she has worked for 5 years in the energy industry, amongst other things in Corporate Finance and Business Development for Ørsted. Since March 2022, Lena is member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, with a mandate by the European Climate Law to advise European policymakers and stakeholders on climate and energy related decisions. She has so far been involved in more than 25 international research and public research consultancy projects, coordinating several of them, is a lead contributor in IEA Wind Task 53, and is part-time professor at the Florence School of Regulation. Lena was until 2022 board member of EERA JP Wind.

Jacob Edmonds is Head of Innovation at Ørsted – the World’s Largest Offshore Wind developer. He has been at Ørsted for almost 15 years, predominantly within their offshore wind space, and has held leadership positions within Cable Installation of offshore wind farms and Project Development (Both regionally and globally). The latter focusing on how to expand the offshore wind markets and solutions across the globe, by offering bespoke offshore wind solutions to sovereign states and governments. In his current role, as Head of Innovation, Jacob is focused on developing new business opportunities for Ørsted, like for instance floating offshore wind, and innovating the way Ørsted operates its core business, via for example transforming the way Ørsted obtains solid site condition information to design the best possible wind farms.

Dr. LIU’s current main research and teaching interests are the theory and technologies on Wind Power Plant Design, Control, Operation and Maintenance. Mr. LIU got his PhD on Production Automation at Nancy 1 University in France and PhD on Hydropower Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China in 2002 from a joint PhD program, and got his Master’s Degree in 1992 and Bachelor’s Degree in 1986 on Hydropower Engineering at North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power. Professor LIU has 35 years of teaching and research experience on Wind Power and Hydro Power Engineering. He was a founder of the Bachelor’s programme “Wind Energy and Power Engineering”, and led more than 50 national and international research projects on wind and hydro power. He was the Principal Investigator of the China Norway joint research project CONWIND (Research on Smart Operation Control Technologies for Offshore Wind Farms). His academic achievements includes 140 peer reviewed research papers, 35 invention patents, and a National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology. He was a Lead Author of IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Special Report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation. Academic Activities: Vice President of the Chinese Wind Energy Association; Renewable Power Committee member of Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering; Regional Editor (Asia) of IET Renewable Power Generation; Editorial Board member of Wind Energy.

Dorothy J. Dankel, Ph.D. (b. 1979, @dorothydankel) is a transdisciplinary Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF Ocean with expertise in Responsible Research and Innovation in marine science and is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Dept. of Biological Sciences at the University of Bergen in Norway. She is currently the Chair of the Nordic Marine Think Tank and has been a research fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School of Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. Dorothy is also on the Science Advisory Committee of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and member and former Chair of the ICES Working Group on Maritime Systems (WGMARS).

Enrico Degiorgis is policy officer on Wind energy and renewable hydrogen research and innovation at the European Commission – Directorate General for research and innovation. From 2016 to 2022, he worked at the European Commission – DG Environment on circular economy, sustainable production, products and consumption and green public procurement. Between 2003 and 2015, he covered different positions in the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Piedmont, in Italy, being the energy manager of the organisation and working on the energy efficiency, energy performance of buildings, renewable energies and sustainable production and consumption. He is an industrial engineer, with a specialisation in environmental engineering.

Herbjørn Haslum heads Equinor’s development of technology for offshore floating wind, dealing with new floating wind concepts, mooring systems and implementation of new technology in early phase wind farm projects. He has 25 years’ experience from design and project execution of various floater concepts, mooring design, and marine operations. Before joining Equinor, he worked on international deep-water field development projects in Gulf of Mexico, Malaysia and Australia. He holds a PhD in marine hydrodynamics from NTNU and a Professor II position in Marine Technology at NTNU.

Nenad Keseric is a prominent figure in offshore wind energy, holding a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Energy Economics from Vienna University of Technology. His career began at Austrian Power Grid, leading cross-border energy projects. At Statkraft, he was the Director of Business Development, focusing on renewable energy projects across Southeast Europe. Joining Equinor in 2008, he managed groundbreaking projects like ArcticWind and Hywind, the world’s first floating wind turbine. His role extended to digital strategy, overseeing Equinor’s Renewable Digital platform. Recently, as COO of Ocean Sun, he spearheaded innovative floating PV technologies, demonstrating leadership in project development and global team coordination. With a career spanning over two decades, Nenad Keseric has been at the forefront of renewable energy innovation, contributing significantly to the advancement of offshore wind technology and international energy standards.

Paul joined ORE Catapult (formerly Narec) in August 2006 and currently holds the post of Head of Electrical Research responsible for ORE Catapult’s electrical research programme development and delivery focusing on Future Energy Systems. Previously, Paul occupied the role of Head of Strategic Research and prior to that, he was the Project Director of several UK and European funded research and innovation projects including OPTIMUS FP7, Snapper FP7 and Aquamarine Power’s Oyster project. He is currently a Management Board member of the European Energy Research Alliance Joint Programme for Wind (EERA JPWind) and part of the Executive Committee for the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Wind (ETIPWind). As part of those duties, his is currently serving as Project Lead of the NeWindEERA project which will deliver a new research programme proposal for the European wind energy sector. Paul has also served on the EUREC Board and chaired the Industrial Advisory Board for the SuperGen ORE Hub in the UK for five years. He is currently a member of the Durham Energy Institute’s Industrial Advisory Board. Prior to working for ORE Catapult, Paul spent sixteen years in the automotive and railway industries in a number of positions including Project Engineer, Lead Engineer and Technical Team Leader. Paul obtained a Masters Degree (MEng/BEng (Hons)) in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bradford. He is also a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET) and a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

As the strategic business developer for Utsira municipality, Grete Møgster plays a crucial role in the Utsira Nord project, aimed at establishing Utsira as a leader in floating wind technology by 2030. Her collaboration with government, consortia, and suppliers is vital in shaping a sustainable future for Norway’s smallest municipality and securing benefits from this groundbreaking initiative. With a background rooted in the shipping industry, Møgster’s diverse experience as a CEO, founder, and HSE manager across various sectors enriches her approach to overseeing Utsira Nord. Her expertise in regulatory compliance and emergency response, combined with her maritime infrastructure knowledge, is key to her success. Møgster’s academic background, including a Master’s in Biochemistry focused on Fish Health and HSE and Emergency Leadership, complements her professional experience. Her additional qualifications in Medicine, Maritime Law, and Law enhance her ability to navigate the complex interplay of technical, safety, and legal challenges in the maritime sector. Her commitment to innovation and sustainability in maritime practices underscores her leadership in floating wind technology.

Lars Frøyd has a PhD in offshore wind technology from NTNU in 2012. Since then, he has been working at 4Subsea and is now Lead Engineer of their Wind Energy Team. He has worked mainly with development of methodology and tools for floating wind turbine analysis, and has had a central role in pioneering floating wind development projects Hywind Scotland and Hywind Tampen.

Michael Karch is Chief Naval Architect at Ramboll with over 12 years of professional experience and a solid background in naval architecture, hydrodynamics, and offshore engineering. He has been involved in the majority of the floating wind projects done by Ramboll and has contributed as a subject-matter expert to the design and analysis of floating offshore systems, including coupled hydrodynamic motion analyses, hydrostatic stability analyses, mooring design and analyses, and structural analysis of the foundations. Michael is leading Ramboll’s R&D activities on floating wind and has developed numerous software solutions for the design and analysis of floating offshore structures.

Finn Gunnar Nielsen’s research has been focused on the interaction between the ocean (wind, current and waves) and marine structures. In recent time he has in particular worked with the dynamics of offshore wind turbines. I his previous position he headed the research project developing the world’s first full scale floating wind turbine. For this work he in 2018 was awarded the price of honor from the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences – NTVA.

Geir Olav Berg is Chief technical officer and Senior Vice President engineering at Aker Offshore Wind. He is responsible for aligning technology needs with Aker Offshore Wind strategy and growth targets, including research and implementation. Mr. Berg has more than 25 years of experience from the offshore industry. His previous leadership roles include Head of Engineering in the Aker Solutions floating wind business, as well as numerous management positions as VP of Engineering devoted to subsea technology and project execution in the Aker companies. Mr. Berg holds an MSc in Naval Architecture with focus on Cybernetic/Robotics from NTNU, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Catherine Banet is Professor in Energy Law at the University of Oslo, Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, and Head of the Energy and Resources Law Department, Norway. Her legal research activities focus on energy market design, energy transport infrastructures regulation, renewable energy and notably offshore wind, support schemes and alternative financing models, climate change mitigation measures including carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen regulation. Prof. Banet has a background from the private law practice (Norway, France), the European Commission (DG ENV), U.S. diplomatic mission and academia. She is the author of several books, studies and articles. She is one of the four academic directors of the professional LL.M. programme North Sea Energy Law Partnership (NSELP). She is a member of the Academic Advisory Group of the Section on Energy, Environment and Infrastructure Law of the IBA, and Chair of the Board of the Norwegian Energy Law Association. She is Academic Research Fellow at the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE).

Charlotte Bay Hasager is Professor MSO in Offshore Wind Energy Meteorology at DTU Wind Energy, Denmark.  She has been at DTU Wind Energy almost her entire working life. She started as a research assistant in 1993 and after getting her PhD, she moved on as postdoc, researcher and senior researcher with special competences.

Kristian Holm is Technology Director for Renewables at Equinor. He is a renewable energy expert with 20 years of experience in the wind, solar and hydro business. He has broad experience from design, procurement, manufacturing, installation, as well as operation and maintenance of wind turbines. Previously, he worked at GE Renewables and Kongsberg Group, occupying several positions covering turbine design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance. In his last position, he was heading the renewable business at Kongsberg, focusing on digitalisation of the renewable business and how this will affect the business going forward. He has a master’s degree in Finance and a BSc in Mechanical engineering. Specialties: Renewable energy, Wind energy, Digitalisation, Contract negotiations national and international, Purchase negotiations, union negotiations, supplier management, stock management, assortment management, supplier appraisal, international experience, project management, team management, sales and manufacturing.

Dr Hannele Holttinen is Partner at Recognis. She is acting as Operating Agent of IEAWIND Task 25 and involved in Global Power System Transformation G-PST Pillars 1 and 5. She has her MSc and PhD from Helsinki Technical University, where she is Docent since 2014. She worked previously at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland for more than 25 years in different fields of wind energy and energy system integration research, last years as Principal Scientist. Her main interests are on the impact of wind and PV on power systems and electricity markets.

CEO Knut Vassbotn founded Deep Wind Offshore in 2020, together with the owners Knutsen Group, Haugaland Kraft and SKL. Since then, the company has partnered with the French industry giant EDF Renewables for the projects in Norway. DWO has also started companies in Sweden and South Korea – where it recently gained exclusivity on a major site.

Vassbotn has more than 20 years of experience from the energy sector and has developed floating offshore wind projects across the globe for the last decade. He holds a BSc in Naval Architecture from University of Newcastle.

Roel May is a Research Scientist at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). His current research interest lies in the interface between science and conservation, and is centered on impacts of renewable energy on wildlife and spatial ecology.

Joanna Martin was selected to be part of Ørsted’s Global Graduate Programme. For her first rotation, she is working as a Concept and Layout Engineer for offshore wind farm development. Prior to that, she has worked as a Junior Consultant at PEAK Wind in the Floating Wind Excellence department led by Ilmas Bayati. She has a double Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Centrale Nantes (France) and the Technical University of Munich (Germany). She has also studied one year at the Technical University of Denmark to specialize in Renewable Energies and Offshore Wind.

José Luis Domínguez-García completed his B.S and M.S. in Industrial Engineering in 2009, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering 2013. He was a researcher visitor at the Institute of Energy, Cardiff University, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, and Huddersfield University, UK, in 2011, 2016 and 2018, respectively. In 2010, he joined IREC as a researcher, and currently acts as Head of the Power Systems Group. His work deals with the grid integration of renewable energy sources, smart grids, and microgrids. He actively participates and coordinates several industrial and research projects focused on renewables power integration, power system stability and offshore grids design and control. He is also the general coordinator of the H2020 COREWIND and INCITE H2020 MSCA ITN project as well as WP leader of others. He has more than 30 journal papers and is co-author of 1 patent.

Trond Kvamsdal is a Professor with the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and Chair of the Northwind research centre’s Scientific Advisory Committee. His positions at NTNU are within computational mathematics, i.e., development of new theories/methods within applied mathematics and numerical analysis to make robust and efficient numerical software programs for challenging applications in science and technology. The main area of application is computational mechanics, i.e., both solid/structural and uid mechanics relevant for civil, mechanical, marine, and petroleum engineering as well as biomechanics, geophysics, and renewable energy. He received the IACM Fellow Award (International Association for Computational Mechanics), in 2010, and was an elected member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences (NTVA), in 2017.

John Olav Giæver Tande is Chief Scientist and Research Manager at SINTEF Energy Research (Norway), and a pioneer in floating offshore wind energy. He is the director of the NorthWind research centre, an 8 year, 31.5 million EUR research centre working on innovations to make wind power cheaper, more efficient, and more sustainable. From 2009 to 2017, he was the Director of NOWITECH (Norwegian Research Centre for Offshore Wind Technology). Both centres have been funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and national/international industry. John Olav Giæver Tande received the Mission Innovation Champion Award at the fourth Mission Innovation ministerial meeting in Vancouver, Canada, in May 2019.