Green Rebel Marine Tech Firm Announces Expansion Plans with 75 Jobs

13th December 2023

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD has visited Irish offshore company Green Rebel’s Limerick base as the company announces its first major expansion outside of Cork. The offshore survey is planning to create 75 jobs over the next two years to meet demand for its services. Pictured are Kieran Ivers, CEO Green Rebel; Minister Simon Coveney and John Wallace, Green Rebel Technology Director with Green Rebel Field Technicians Chris Slattery and Conor McNamara Credit: Brian Arthur

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney TD, visited Irish offshore company Green Rebel’s Limerick base as the company announced its first major expansion outside of Cork.

Green Rebel provides a full range of survey and data services to the offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry and is actively recruiting for 25 highly-skilled positions. Based on current projections, it is expected that the company will need an additional 50 people over the next two years to meet demand for its services. This will bring the total number of new jobs to 75.

The new jobs include oceanographers, geophysicists, data scientists, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, survey vessel crew, technicians and project leads. The positions are based in Limerick, Cork and on board Green Rebel’s survey vessels.

The company was established by Irish entrepreneur Pearse Flynn in 2020 and specialises in acquiring, processing and analysing marine, aerial and met-ocean data using survey boats and aircraft as well as LiDAR buoys and innovative technologies that are designed and assembled in Limerick. Green Rebel has live and upcoming projects in Ireland, Scotland and off the coast of mainland Europe. There are also a number of potential projects in international markets such as the United States and Australia.

Minister Simon Coveney said, “The triple benefits of offshore wind are energy security, decarbonisation and economic growth. We need to utilise all of the talents that Ireland has to offer to make the most of this opportunity. Green Rebel has deployed high level engineering and instrumentation to design and manufacture essential technologies for the offshore wind sector. Already we’re seeing the opportunities internationally with Green Rebel’s technologies being used by a number of tier-one ORE developers in this field. In the decades to come we will see tens of thousands of Irish jobs in the offshore wind sector. Green Rebel is beating down a path for other Irish supply chain companies to follow and is building confidence in this sector.”

Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel added, “This jobs announcement is a reflection of the progress we’ve made in developing world-class services that will inform offshore wind farm developments in Ireland and abroad. Green Rebel is competing on a global scale. We've built fast to enter new markets in the UK and mainland Europe with our sights firmly focused on offering our services across other global markets. Our experience is that the talent is here and we want to ensure the economic value is created and stays in Ireland.”

Green Rebel’s MetOcean division is located in Limerick. The company’s floating LiDAR Buoy is designed and assembled on site, with the platform proven to deliver the investment grade data required to fund offshore wind development. The buoy has been designed to offer more power, more buoyancy and more reliable data. The buoys are as tall as a two-storey house and weigh as much as 11 family cars, they operate autonomously at sea and use lidar technology to profile the speed of winds at heights of up to 300m. The buoys also deliver data on waves, ocean currents and water quality which is analysed and interpreted by the team of data specialists in Limerick.

Mark Christal, Manager Food and Sustainability at Enterprise Ireland said, “Enterprise Ireland has been proud to work with the team at Green Rebel as they build a global brand in the vital offshore wind sector. Green Rebel’s innovative technology and talented team are playing a leading role in the development of the green energy sector and we look forward to working with the company as it implements its ambitious growth strategy. Today’s announcement underlines the potential that exists for Irish companies in supplying the sustainable energy sector and it’s an area that Enterprise Ireland is increasingly active in.”

Ciaran Sheehan, Green Rebel Head of People and Culture said, “Green Rebel is very much focused on employee experience and in attracting, retaining and rewarding the best talent. Our focus is investing in and introducing initiatives to support our people. Our innovative ‘Energised and Effective Teams’ programme is backed by science and is designed to enable managers to maximise the energy within their teams. It looks at areas like rest and diet to maximise each person’s performance whether they’re working from home, in the office, offshore on a buoy, or working for several weeks at a time on board our survey vessels.”

Green Rebel operates a fleet of vessels and aircraft to map vast areas of the ocean. It has a team of scientists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, vessel crew and support staff across multiple locations in Cork and Limerick. Green Rebel provides the offshore wind and other sectors an end-to-end set of data services that extend from acquisition, processing, interpretations and reporting, with their fleet of purpose-built vessels, aircraft, floating LiDAR buoys and in-house team of scientists and industry experts.

Published in Power From the Sea

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Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

What is offshore renewable energy?

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Which resource has the most advanced technology?

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

How big is offshore wind?

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

How many offshore fixed and floating wind farms are planned for Irish waters?

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

How do wind farms connect to the national grid?

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

What is the planning regime in Ireland for offshore wind?

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

Who are the main investors in Irish offshore wind?

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind?

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

What is the projected generating capacity from offshore wind in Irish waters?

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

How high are the wind turbines offshore?

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

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Does RESS apply to offshore wind farming?

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

What is the difference between fixed and floating offshore wind farms?

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

Do offshore wind farms pose a hazard to wildlife and what mitigation measures are in place?

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

How many people are typically employed on an offshore wind farm?

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

What are the training routes to becoming involved in offshore wind?

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

What types of employment are available?

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How important could offshore wind energy be?

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How advanced is wave technology for renewable energy?

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How is the Irish industry represented?

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