Kristian Glejbøl, Lead Engineer at Wavepiston, shares his insights on the company’s role as project coordinator, the challenges faced, and the impact they aim to achieve with this ambitious European initiative.
What is Wavepiston’s Role in the SHY Project?
“Our role in the project is to lead the technical development. We see ourselves as the engine driving the project’s focus. As coordinator, Wavepiston is responsible for guiding innovation in wave energy capture technologies and ensuring technical objectives are met.”
How Important is Collaboration Among Partners for the Project’s Success?
“Collaboration is of paramount importance because, as a wave power company, we don’t have all the necessary competencies. The purpose of this project is to work with multifaceted experts to complement our capabilities.”
What Impact Do You Expect the SHY Project to Have on Renewable Energy?
The SHY Project aims to revolutionize the wave energy sector, making it competitive in the market. According to Kristian: “The impact of this project will be a power take-off system that makes wave power commercially viable. Currently, no wave power systems are commercially viable, and our intention is to be the first company to make that happen.”
What Challenges Do You Face as Coordinators to Ensure the Project’s Success?
“One of the biggest challenges is that every partner has different priorities, which can make it hard to move as fast as we’d like. If you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together. That’s exactly what we’re doing here.”
How Will You Integrate Lessons Learned from the First-Generation Prototypes into the Second Generation?
“With the second-generation prototypes, we use all the experience from the first. Most importantly, we know what not to do, and that will make the second prototype much more successful.”
What Communication Strategies Do You Use to Keep Partners Aligned?
Wavepiston values direct and informal communication among partners: “I think it’s really important to meet people face-to-face. After that, it’s easier to call them and work together. Informal communication is key when you’re dealing with technical tasks.”