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Irish offshore energy survey company Green Rebel is among the Irish companies that are scaling rapidly and are showcasing their products in the United States this week as part of Enterprise Ireland's trade mission.

Green Rebel is attending events in Washington DC that focus on sustainability and St Patrick's Day celebrations with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD.

Founded in Crosshaven in Cork Harbour in 2020, Green Rebel provides a range of survey and data services to the offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry.

It specialises in acquiring, processing, and analyzing marine, aerial, and met-ocean data using its fleet of survey boats and aircraft together with innovative technologies. Green Rebel has ongoing and upcoming projects in Ireland, Scotland, and off the coast of mainland Europe. It is also exploring potential projects in international markets such as the United States and Australia. "The United States represents a huge, developing market for the offshore renewable energy industry," said Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel. "There is a pipeline of work emerging and Green Rebel wants to be part of it.

An international supply chain will be needed to support the US development. We, at Green Rebel, have already demonstrated our ability to do business in Ireland and Europe from our bases in Cork and Limerick. We are looking forward to building links and developing relationships with the support of Enterprise Ireland."

Kieran Ivers will be attending events with key people from the US Department of Energy, the Chief of Staff to John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and the US Ambassador to Ireland. He was a guest at the American Ireland Funds Gala and will attend the annual St. Patrick's Day Business Lunch and the Irish Embassy Reception.

Green Rebel will also be featured on a special St. Patrick's Day edition of Impact with John Shegerian, a popular weekly podcast that features conversations with some of the greatest business minds and thought leaders across the globe. The St. Patrick's Day trip is organized by Enterprise Ireland, which is hosting more than 50 overseas business events this week showcasing the Irish companies that are scaling rapidly.

Published in Power From the Sea
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Cork Harbour marine tech firm Green Rebel has won the Rising Star Award in association with Enterprise Ireland in the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards.

This award recognises the innovation and growth achievements of a company which has demonstrated a promising growth trajectory and the potential for inclusion in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 rankings in years to come.

Green Rebel is headquartered in Cork and 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.

Kieran Ivers, CEO of Green Rebel said: “This award recognises the progress that has been made in the offshore wind sector in such a short space of time. The economic opportunities that lie ahead for Irish companies are significant and Green Rebel is an example of what can be achieved. The services we offer didn’t exist in Ireland three years ago, and already we’ve positioned ourselves as an organisation which can export these services to meet international demand. The market is there and it is reassuring that the value of offshore wind stays in Ireland, that jobs are created and the talent remains here. Green Rebel’s success is down to our strong teams in Cork and Limerick. We have some of Ireland's foremost scientific and engineering talent delivering to a global standard.”

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The Department of Transport has been advised that a geophysical and geotechnical surveys is being undertaken by Green Rebel Marine in the Irish Sea to assess cable burial on behalf of MDM.

The survey work was anticipated to start on Monday 19 June and will be completed by the end of September, subject to weather and operational constraints.

Surveys will be conducted by two vessels: the semi-SWATH catamaran Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) which will conduct 24-hr operations, and the Lady Kathleen (callsign EIXT2), a catamaran which will conduct 12-hr operations. Both vessels will display appropriate lights and signals.

As the survey vessels will be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre when surveying, due to the deployment of the towed survey equipment from the vessel for the duration of the survey activities, other vessels are kindly requested to keep a wide berth.

Mariners are advised to keep continuous watch on VHF Channel 16 when navigating the area.

Coordinates and a map of the survey areas as well as contact details can be found in Marine Notice No 40 of 2023, attached below.

Published in News Update

Cork Harbour Offshore specialists Green Rebel will today (Thursday) share their techniques for mapping and identifying areas of the seabed suitable for wind farm developments with experts from across the globe. The company provides site investigation services to the offshore wind sector.

Jared Peters, Head of Green Rebel’s Marine division, has been invited to speak at the bi-annual Oceanology International Americas conference in San Diego. The three-day event is aimed at those involved in exploring, protecting and sustainably operating in the world’s oceans and waterways.

Green Rebel will present how its approach to geophysical surveys is helping to accelerate and streamline offshore renewable energy developments. It recently carried out a bespoke multi-sensor, multi-client campaign for offshore wind energy, which was one of the first of its kind in the world.

Jared Peters said, “We’re delighted to be asked to share our experiences at such a significant global event. We believe that multi-client surveys are the way forward, meaning the data will be readily available for developers to use. This approach reduces the environmental impact, reduces emissions as well as avoiding any potential disruption for other marine users. We’re committed to working with and around the communities who make a living from the sea and have also successfully located lost fishing gear. Other benefits include accelerating development timelines, reducing costs for developers and the potential to share data for academic research purposes.” 

Jared Peters will be joined on stage by experts from the United States and Germany, including leaders in the field of unmanned submersibles, a former hydrographer from the US Navy and a research associate from the institute for wind energy systems in Bremerhaven.

Green Rebel has a team of over 80 scientists, chemists, engineers, ecologists, vessel crew and business practitioners across multiple locations in Cork and Limerick. It offers offshore wind developers 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 an in-house team of scientists and industry experts.

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Denis Crotty has been appointed Senior Projects Advisor with Green Rebel. He will be based between Green Rebel’s headquarters in Cork city and Crosshaven Boatyard. Green Rebel is an Irish company specialising in offshore site investigations for offshore wind developments. 

Denis will lead the charge in exploring Crosshaven Boatyard's potential to support the offshore wind sector while preserving the historical foundations and creating benefits for the local community.

Denis has more than 30 years of international experience in a variety of senior and executive roles on numerous large, high-profile projects, including engineering and construction contracting in Europe, the Middle East and Australia. This experience includes 20 years in the energy sector, including oil and gas, power and petrochemicals industries, as well as commercial, utilities and infrastructure industries.

He has held leadership positions within various business units covering project and site management, commercial, planning, estimating and proposals, mainly within the Kentz Group. While at Kentz, Denis was recognised with the Kentz CEO Award in 2011 and 2013 for his outstanding contribution to the company. He has also held Senior Executive positions in SNC Lavalin and Actavo.

Denis said he hopes to bring his international expertise to support the transition to offshore wind energy and the historic Crosshaven Boatyard.

Denis said: “I am very excited having returned home to Cork to progress my career in the renewable energy sector. I have more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector, and I feel I can bring this international experience back home. I am very excited to be based in the historic Crosshaven Boatyard and to be joining the Green Rebel team, which is an exciting green company in the emerging offshore wind sector in Ireland and also a major local employer.” 

Crosshaven Boatyard was established in 1961 and originally specialised in building commercial fishing boats over the years has developed to build famous yachts like Gypsy Moth V, Saint Brendan and a series of Moondusters up to the early 1980s.

Published in Crosshaven Boatyard
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Green Rebel Marine will undertake a geophysical survey campaign for an offshore wind farm in the North Celtic Sea from next Tuesday 29 March to the end of May, weather permitting.

The survey will be conducted on a 24-hour basis by the Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5), which will display appropriate lights and signals.

The survey will utilise multibeam echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers, side-scan sonars, magnetometers and ultra-high-resolution survey equipment, both hull-mounted and towed.

Typically, the towed cable lengths will be about four times the water depth while acquiring survey data.

Mariners are advised to keep continuous watch on VHF Channel 16 when navigating the areas of operation, coordinates of which are detailed in Marine Notice No 16 of 2022 attached below.

All vessels operating in the vicinity of these operations are requested to keep their distance and pass at minimum speed to reduce vessel wash.

Published in Power From the Sea

Green Rebel has announced plans to create 50 jobs over the next 12 months. 

Green Rebel is an Irish owned business established to service the current and future needs of offshore wind farms. The new positions will include survey vessel crew, technicians and engineers, data scientists and surveyors, ecologists, aircraft mission specialists, project managers, office administrators, AI specialists, software developers and sales and marketing roles. The jobs will be spread across Green Rebel’s Crosshaven, Cork Airport and Limerick offices.

The company currently employs 75 staff and that number will grow to 125 by the middle of 2022. Taoiseach Micheal Martin joined Green Rebel to announce the jobs.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: “I am delighted to join Green Rebel to announce the creation of 50 jobs over the next 12 months. Having seen the technology, met many of the team, and seen some of the Green Rebel data from what is normally our hidden marine environment, I am excited that this team are having such success and innovative plans are in place to drive our supply chain forward and help Ireland become a world leader in the development of offshore wind.”

CEO of Green Rebel, John Wallace said: “We are very excited about our plans to grow and develop Green Rebel over the coming year. The waters around Ireland and further afield are set to become a major source of renewable energy generation and this is an absolutely essential element of effort to combat climate change. The quality survey work being undertaken by Green Rebel right now is designed to both protect the environment and allow wind farm developers to harness its potential. The company operates a growing fleet of state-of-the-art survey aircraft and survey vessels that capture enormous datasets that are processed by a world class team of data scientists across all disciplines. The need for revolution has never been greater and at Green Rebel we are passionate about being a dynamic contributor to help achieve a more sustainable future for all. We are building on a team with great experience and we are looking for people that share this passion.”

Founder of Green Rebel, Pearse Flynn said: “Ireland is on the cusp of a green revolution. With an abundance of offshore wind and water available to us, we can produce real fuel alternatives to help deliver Ireland’s energy transition. Wind generated offshore will pay a significant role in providing energy security and helping Ireland become a net exporter of green, renewable energy. Wind generation will bring ashore electricity that can be used either directly into the grid, or feed exciting new green energy solutions provided by our sister company EI-H2, who are looking to produce green hydrogen at sites in County Cork and beyond.”

Green Rebel is headquartered in Crosshaven, Cork and plays a key role in the development of the offshore wind sector. Using their fleet of ships, aircraft and innovative technology, the growing, diverse, and energetic team specialise in the collection, processing, and analysis of marine and metocean data. The company and its team helps accelerate green energy developments in the most sustainable and ecologically responsible manner possible.

Plans for offshore wind farms are at an advanced stage with a number of potential fixed and floating operators examining sites along the Irish coastline. Green Rebel is engaging with all developers to provide world-class data acquisition and processing capabilities on their doorstep.

Published in Power From the Sea

Green Rebel Marine in Crosshaven intends to conduct geophysical survey operations off the South Coast between Cork and Waterford cities over an extended period of time, up to a year from this Thursday 3 June.

The survey will be conducted by two vessels: the semi-SWATH catamaran Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) which will conduct 24-hr operations, and the Lady Kathleen (callsign EIXT2), a catamaran which will conduct 12-hr operations. Both vessels will display appropriate lights and signals.

The geophysical survey will use a multibeam echosounder and sub-bottom profilers, which will be hull-mounted, as well as side-scan sonars and magnetometers that will be towed using dedicated winches at cable lengths dictated by the water depth (typically four times the water depth while acquiring data).

Full details of coordinates of the survey areas are included in Marine Notice No 33 of 2021, a PDF of which can be downloaded below.

Published in Coastal Notes

Green Rebel Marine in Crosshaven is set to undertake a geophysical survey operation in the Celtic Sea from next week.

The survey from next Wednesday 26 May to 23 June, weather permitting, will be conducted by the Roman Rebel (callsign 2ICA5) using hull-mounted multibeam and sub-bottom profiling systems.

In addition, the vessel will be towing side-scan sonars and magnetometers using dedicated winches at cable lengths dictated by the water depth. Typically, the cable lengths will be about four times the water depth while acquiring data.

The Roman Rebel will display appropriate lights and signals and all survey operations will be conducted 24 hours a day, continuous over day and night.

Full details of coordinates of the survey areas are included in Marine Notice No 32 of 2021, which can be downloaded below.

Published in Coastal Notes

The first digital aerial ecology surveys of Irish coastal waters to be undertaken by a domestic company are about to begin following the arrival of a new special mission aircraft owned by Green Rebel Group into Cork Airport. The company is leading efforts to establish Cork Harbour as a Green Energy Hub, beginning with a new partnership between Green Rebel Group, Cork Airport, the Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) and Weston Aviation.

Green Rebel Group acquired the aircraft to undertake ecological assessments as part of the planning process for marine renewable energy projects, including offshore wind farms. The new €1.5 million twin-engine Diamond Air DA42 aircraft will be used to survey thousands of square miles of ocean. The DA-42 is the most environmentally-friendly aircraft of its class on the market, in keeping with Green Rebel Group’s mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels. The aircraft - with tail registration EI-GRM - will be permanently based at Cork Airport.

With the purchase of this aircraft, Green Rebel Group will be the only domestic Irish company offering digital aerial surveys for ecological assessments associated with marine renewable energy projects. Green Rebel has partnered with AFTA, which will be the specialist operator (SPO) for the aircraft. The aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation hangar at Cork Airport. Its arrival has resulted in the creation of 15 direct jobs, and there are plans for further job creation over the coming years, which will ensure Cork is one of the leading players in the green energy sector.

Each aerial survey flight will generate terabytes of high-quality imagery. In order to store, process, and backup this data, Green Rebel Group has also built a world-class marine data centre. The high-spec server and supporting IT infrastructure are housed in a secure location at the Cork Airport Business Park. The data will be used to map the abundance of marine wildlife, which is critical to ensure wind farms are built in the most suitable locations.

Sarah Kandrot, Head of Aerial Surveys with Green Rebel Group said: “This aircraft will help us to compile information that will ensure offshore wind farms are built in the best locations to protect the ecology of the ocean. We are delighted that our aircraft has arrived in Cork, which means we can now begin conducting these important surveys. With this aircraft, large sections of the ocean can be surveyed over a shorter period of time than can be achieved with traditional boat-based surveys. Thanks to the ultra high-spec of our camera equipment, our aircraft will be flying at heights that will not cause any disturbance to birds or marine megafauna while at the same time allowing us to collect the highest-quality digital imagery.”

Mick Horgan, CEO of Green Rebel Group said: “I am hugely proud of the Green Rebel team and what they have achieved. We have put together an amazing team of data acquisition specialists and data scientists who are all experts in their respective fields. I have every faith that our aerial survey division will be second to none.”

Niall MacCarthy, Managing Director at Cork Airport, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Green Rebel Group to Cork Airport. Covid-19 has provided us with opportunities to diversify our business into new areas supporting cargo, offshore gas and wind operations. As a key economic enabler for the region, Cork Airport will play a big role in the economic recovery ahead. The addition of the Green Rebel Group aircraft based here at Cork Airport will help create new job opportunities particularly in the green energy sector. The Green Rebel Marine Diamond Aviation 42 aircraft will be based at the Weston Aviation Hangar at Cork Airport and we wish them every success in this exciting new offshore wind venture.”

Mark Casey, CEO of AFTA said: “AFTA are delighted to have been chosen as the SPO operator for the specialist air survey delivery for Green Rebel Marine. It is fantastic to see local investment by GRM in aviation and marine infrastructure creating high quality local jobs for the Munster region. The Special Mission DA42 NG is an environmentally friendly low impact survey and reconnaissance and survey platform. The aircraft is powered by the AE300 aero diesel power plant and can run on 100% Algae based Biofuel. AFTA are proud to be a part of Green Rebel's mission to reduce the dependence on energy from fossil fuels and move towards a sustainable offshore wind energy solution.”

CEO of Weston Aviation, Nick Weston said: “We are delighted to be working closely with the Green Rebel Team in this exciting new venture adding to the rapidly developing offshore operations that both Weston Aviation and Cork Airport can offer in the region. Our ideally located FBO and hangar at the airport is a perfect base for aircraft and passenger processing for these highly complex missions.”

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Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

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

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".

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

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