Hexicon, a Swedish twin floating wind turbine technology company, is working to expand its presence and pipeline in North America with the appointment of Adrienne Downey as Principal Engineer and Country Manager for the US and Canada, on February 1st, 2022.
Downey was most recently the Principal Engineer for offshore wind for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
"During her tenure, Adrienne led NYSERDA’s nation-leading offshore wind program with the goal of reaching 9 gigawatts (GW) by 2035, and successfully procured an excess of 4.3 GW. Previously, Adrienne supported the establishment of wind turbine original equipment manufacturer ENERCON’s operations in North America," Hexicon said.
In its statement announcing the new appointment, Hexicon pointed to major new commitments in the U.S. supporting offshore wind signal potential for as much as 35 GW of floating wind power by 2040, and almost 60 GW by 2050, on President Biden’s path to 110 GW of offshore wind by 2050.
"Glidepaths for leasing, permitting, and major investments are set to achieve 30 GW of offshore wind power by 2030, which will trigger more than USD 109 billion total expenditures," Hexicon said.
"The Pacific Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and Maine, and deeper waters of the Central Atlantic are expected to benefit from major deployments of floating offshore wind as the ocean is too deep for bottom-fixed wind energy in these geographies. Floating offshore wind will therefore offer a critical pathway to meet these regions’ ambitious clean energy goals through reliable cost-effective renewable energy.
Marcus Thor, CEO of Hexicon said: “We are honored to have Adrienne Downey join us as the Principal Engineer and Country Manager for the US and Canada; two countries with large ambitions for the energy transition. Adrienne has extensive experience in offshore wind power and we can’t think of a better champion for Hexicon in North America. We now look forward to having Adrienne help us leverage both our project development know-how and our technological innovations over the coming years in North America including establishing strategic partnerships to support large-scale lease auctions, advancing local relationships in supply-chain development, and championing priority research and development.”
Adrienne Downey said: “I am delighted to take the helm of Hexicon in the US and Canada at such an exciting moment. Offshore wind is poised to bring tremendous benefits and cost-effective renewable development to the global fight against climate change, and faster deployment of deep-water technology is key to unlocking this potential. After years of proud public service leading the nation’s largest and most sophisticated offshore wind market, I am excited to help translate my deep sector knowledge to this critical technology inflection point, supporting rapid deployment and local partnerships to unlock unprecedented economic ecosystems.”
Hexicon, founded in 2009 and based in Stockholm, Sweden, is working to develop floating offshore wind farms with dual turbine floating wind power platforms.
Hexicon has said that its patented floating platforms can be positioned further offshore and in deeper waters than conventional fixed bottom offshore wind designs, resulting in better wind conditions. Hexicon’s proprietary dual turbine floating wind power platforms, TwinWind, also allows the platform to align with the direction of the wind, maximizing efficiency with enhanced cable, foundation, installation, and environmental efficiencies, according to the company.