The Thinking Manager
Informed decision-making improves business performance
Your Agenda
The renewable energy skills crisis: Why your organisation cannot afford to wait
A looming threat to renewable energy projects One critical challenge threatens to derail the renewable energy transition: the growing skills crisis. Imagine this: Your organisation secures off-taker interest with a long-term PPA, lands prime real estate, and is first in line for a grid connection contract. Everything seems aligned—except for one major hurdle. There aren’t […]
Unlocking the power of teams in renewable energy: Lessons from Inch Cape and beyond
Renewable energy is at the forefront of tackling climate change, and projects like the Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm highlight how far we’ve come. But these projects aren’t just about turbines and technology – they’re about teams, or aren’t they?
Renewable project development: 2024 research reveals critical success factors
Background In February 2024, we engaged with renewable energy companies across Europe to explore how decision-making during the development phase affects construction, operations, and maintenance. As the renewable energy sector expands and incidents and failures increase, this is becoming a vital focal area. We aimed to identify the correlation between adverse events during the asset […]
The hidden risks: impact of early-stage decisions on safety and reliability
The unwanted trend The renewable energy industry experiences a growing number of incidents during the construction and operations phases of the asset lifecycle. The onshore wind health and safety statistics from SafetyOn show a total of 593 reported incidents in 2021 in the UK – an increase of 11.5% from 532 incidents in 2020. There […]
New ARMSA achievement pursues global impact
As a small business, there is no hiding – we all have to step up to the proverbial plate as we strive to improve the business in a responsible and ethical manner continuously. And that is exactly what we have all done. As a result of an unwavering commitment to shared values, along with some […]
How to use project development as a springboard to creating value
Our research shows that some of the most critical decisions are made at the front end of project development. So, we designed our Thinking Manager webinar series to increase awareness of the impacts of front-end-loaded decision-making or lack thereof on project progress, success or failure. In our first webinar, we discussed the relationship between social […]
Organisational design and culture of M&A and Asset Management teams.
Have you designed your organisation to foster purposeful engagement amongst all functional teams in the early stage of asset development? How do you get your Merger and Acquisition (M&A) and Origination and Execution (O&E) teams to engage with Asset Management at an early stage of a transaction or construction of a renewable project? And why […]
The role of social cultures in business optimisation
Across national boundaries If you manage a multinational team, looking to expand your business or commence projects in a new country, you will know that can be challenging at the best of times. Understanding how social culture affects people’s performance is a critical skill. Yet, many have claimed that “people” management is difficult. And only […]
Women in business: The power of female professionals in the renewable industry
How would you feel if you were not represented in the environment you work in? In this day and age, representation for women matters more than anything, and we can’t take that for granted. March 8th marks a time to celebrate all women in business who are part of the renewable industry. As crazy as […]
How systemic leaders think! The ultimate networking and learning experience.
Have you ever wondered what is like to share a room with industry experts you can network with while you learn about the best safety practices? Are you interested in knowing what is like to attend an ARMSA Academy course? Well, I took the IOSH Construction and Operations Safety for Solar Power virtual course, and I am about to tell you all about it […]
ScotWind – planning for success: reducing goal conflict and risk using informed contracting strategies
The news is out! Crown Estate Scotland has awarded option agreements to 17 projects totalling almost 25GW in its ScotWind offshore wind lease auction. This is huge news. With the rapid growth of the wind power industry and the need to meet the goals proposed by global leaders at COP26, the race is on! But how can professionals in the wind industry […]
What does world class risk based O&M look like?
In November 2021, the IEA reported an increase of 144 TWh (+11%) in onshore wind capacity and 25 TWh (+29%) of growth offshore. The full impact of this construction boom on electricity generation will be most visible in 2022. Now is the time for generators and asset owners to start thinking smartly. And as […]
COP26 and the race for survival
COP26 set some ambitious goals. This was critical to its success but it also meant disappointment would inevitably be part of the deal. “We have kept 1.5 degrees alive,” said conference president, Alok Sharma, in his closing comments. “But, its pulse is weak and it will only survive if we keep our promises; if we […]
The Journey to 2050 – No Half Measures
It’s a matter of days until the COP26 climate summit starts in Glasgow, UK. Whilst some prominent media houses are already questioning whether 25,000 people should really travel to the event, others are arguing that face-to-face meetings are the best way for their voices to be heard. Getting on track This is on the back of failed pre-COP26 digital meetings between the UN and its signatories – […]
Can you afford to make critical decisions in functional silos?
How many different specialists and trades do you think are required to guide a wind farm through its lifecycle? The answer is up to 113, from planning and development, through construction and O&M, and onto decommissioning. The decision-making processes for all roles that affect safety need to be streamlined, so that everyone – up, down […]
Can you think like a fighter pilot?
What does working in wind power have in common with flying an F-16 Fighting Falcon into combat? You might be thinking, ‘not much’, but think again. In the fast-paced, rapidly developing wind power sector, every decision counts. If you can make informed decisions at the point of need, you will increase productivity, reduce risk and […]
3.3M new jobs by 2025: A skills gap waiting to happen?
A staggering 3.3 million new direct jobs are likely to be created in wind power world-wide in the next five years, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. This includes jobs in onshore and offshore wind, and covers everything from project planning and installation to O&M and decommissioning. This is a good news story, isn’t it? And it’s not just about boosting jobs; it’s also about […]
Does training turn off our intelligence?
Why do so many of us recoil at the prospect of another workplace training session? What is going wrong, and how can we fix it? The answer is simple. The process of learning is complex and dynamic. But most training is linear and compliance based. It’s developed to serve a particular corporate purpose at a particular time. But is […]
Learning during Covid-19: virtue out of necessity
Covid-19 has changed how we live, work and learn. Alongside the challenges, it has also brought opportunities. We look at how the shift from in-person to virtual learning in the wind power sector has encouraged collaboration, stimulated creativity and led to tangible on-site improvements. There is no doubt that the Covid crisis has accelerated existing […]
Risk-based contracting: how agile are you?
All business decisions create risks and opportunities. And the choices made at the contracting stage are no different. But in scoping, planning and delivering wind power projects, many developers fail to factor in how their contracting models affect business and safety risk across the asset lifecycle. For most developers and asset owners, contracting structures are […]