RCG appoints Okahara to guide Japan’s offshore wind growth

Tokyo, Japan – The Renewables Consulting Group, an ERM Group company, has appointed offshore wind energy specialist Yoshinori Okahara as a Director in the firm’s Tokyo office.

The appointment will help support the firm’s in-country efforts as the Japanese offshore wind market is currently a hotbed of activity with offshore wind auctions being launched and projects and alliances moving forward. For example, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently announced four offshore wind promising areas – and up to 10 potential areas that require further study – as part of the country’s carbon neutrality plan. Japan aims to build 10 GW of installed capacity by 2030 and 30 GW to 45 GW by 2040.

Okahara will play a central role in supporting RCG’s growth in Japan and internationally as well as developing new revenue opportunities for RCG within Japan and the wider Asia Pacific region. He is also expected to provide leadership with the emerging requirement for owner’s engineering and other renewable project life cycle services.

He has more than 30 years’ experience in civil engineering construction sector with project management, construction management, design, schedule control, risk management, and trouble-shooting roles for both international and Japan domestic projects. Before RCG, Okahara served as acting general manager at Taisei Corporation, where he oversaw the company’s offshore wind program among other duties.

Commenting on the appointment, Gareth Lewis, managing director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, said:

“He is joining RCG at an opportune moment as Japan’s offshore developers will be preparing for auctions, securing consents and designing and procuring equipment. With Okahara-san’s extensive offshore experience in other sectors, he brings a wealth of relevant knowledge to the offshore wind sector.” Gareth Lewis – Managing Director, APAC

RCG’s continued growth means the firm can deploy experienced local teams on any renewable energy engagement, backed up by a team of international experts, to deliver high-value market intelligence, management consulting and technical advisory services on any renewable energy assignment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tokyo, Japan – The Renewables Consulting Group, an ERM Group company, has appointed offshore wind energy specialist Yoshinori Okahara as a Director in the firm’s Tokyo office.

Commenting on the appointment, Gareth Lewis, managing director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, said:

London, United Kingdom – The world’s largest pure-play sustainability advisory firm, ERM, announces the acquisition of RCG (The Renewables Consulting Group) – a global market intelligence, management consulting, and technical advisory firm operating exclusively in the renewable energy sector.

The acquisition expands ERM’s capabilities to support clients across the entire lifecycle of large-scale renewable energy projects, from market intelligence and strategy development through to the development, construction, operations, and decommissioning of projects. It further strengthens the firm’s ability to advise clients on the purchase and sale of renewable energy assets, and adds deep sector experience in offshore wind projects.

The team of RCG grows ERM’s +5,500-strong firm by approximately 60 experts, based in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. RCG’s leadership team joins the ERM partnership.

ERM continues to expand and diversify its market presence through acquisitions. The deal marks ERM’s sixth acquisition announced in 2021, including related acquisitions in next-generation low-carbon technology advisory, and renewables consulting.

Keryn James, CEO, ERM said: “Our purpose is to shape a sustainable future with the world’s leading organizations. Navigating the new opportunities presented by renewables and low-carbon technologies is central to this ambition. With the acquisition of RCG, we are in an even stronger position to help our clients unlock the enormous potential of the clean energy revolution. We warmly welcome the talented RCG team to the ERM Group.”

Sebastian Chivers, CEO, RCG said: “From the outset, our vision for RCG has focused on building the most respected firm in renewable energy consulting, globally. Becoming part of the ERM Group will help us accelerate that vision and become a global leader for our clients in the energy transition. The backing of ERM will allow us to take the business to the next level.”

Lee Clarke, COO, RCG said: “We already have a track record of successfully collaborating closely with ERM across global markets and have shared values and ways of working. Operating together as a single team unlocks competitive advantage for clients throughout the project lifecycle.”

London, England – The Renewables Consulting Group (RCG) has been recognised by Her Majesty The Queen by winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category for significant growth in overseas sales. RCG is one of 205 organisations nationally to be recognised with this prestigious Queen’s Award.

Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country. The awards celebrate the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading the way with pioneering products or services, delivering impressive social mobility programmes or showing their commitment to excellent sustainable development practices.

Employing a staff of 60 consultants across nine offices, RCG provides top-tier market intelligence, management consulting and technical advisory services across wind, solar and energy storage technologies, serving the organizations leading the transition to a low-carbon economy.

As was RCG’s mission upon its founding, the company’s reach is global. The firm is organised into three regional business units covering Europe, Middle East & Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. With a deep understanding of businesses and industries they serve, RCG works with the world’s leading corporations, financial institutions, governments and public sector organisations.

Commenting on the award, Sebastian Chivers, RCG’s CEO, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to win this prestigious award for international trade. RCG was established in 2015 with a clear mission of building the most respected renewable energy advisory firm, on a global scale. Receiving this Royal recognition is a huge honour, and the ultimate endorsement of our position as a trusted advisor to our clients.

“From New York to London to Tokyo, our outstanding team of engineers, economists and scientists is playing a pivotal role in the transition to a net zero economy. This award belongs to every employee who has been part of our journey to date. We look forward to continuing our global expansion, proudly as a Queen’s Award recipient.” – Sebastian Chivers, CEO

RCG’s expertise covers the full value chain, from strategy and development, through transactions and financing to engineering construction, and operations.

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Module mounting structures for solar PV systems are mostly found in the two flavours of fixed tilt and tracking. Whilst fixed tilt systems require lower capital expenditure, need less maintenance and are more reliable, tracker systems can increase the energy yield of a project by increasing the irradiation received by the PV modules as they track the sun through the day. Increased cost, maintenance and risk of failure are generally worthwhile in regions that receive sufficient irradiation. Consequently, trackers are the standard in most utility-scale solar PV applications across medium and high irradiation areas.

Although widely adopted, trackers are not immune to failures – particularly when it comes to wind and weather-related events. Indeed, industry webinars on the topic reveal nearly 70% of attendees thought that wind and other weather-related events were the greatest source of issues related to single-axis solar trackers.

Detail of a typical tracking mechanism used to optimise energy generation from solar PV modules.

Detailed information on tracker failures is not readily shared by manufacturers (since most are reluctant to disclose failures associated with their products), the poll results align with historic case studies and general industry knowledge that identifies key risk factors as localized wind events, dynamic design type, and phase of construction. Failures can be categorized as a failure to perform under wind conditions reasonably expected (design failure), or exposure to wind events outside of conditions reasonably anticipated (extreme weather). Both issues result in increased risk and/or cost to the project owner.

Extreme weather risks are generally not covered through design alone. While robust designs for extreme events are achievable, the additional materials required make the systems commercially unattractive. Therefore, residual risks relating to extreme weather are generally covered through insurance. Insurance policy terms and cost are typically affected by the geography and meteorological history of the site, track record of manufacturers and models, the maintenance commitments in project contracts, contractor reputation and warranty coverage.

Considering design failure, projects have historically relied upon design compliance with codes and standards that are not specific to solar trackers. Dependence on these codes has been misleading, indicating suitability where it was not warranted.

In the absence of specific codes, each project, developer, or EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contractor may each define their own design requirements. Tracker manufacturers may execute their own studies and meet project requirements, yet the designs remain insufficient to assess and describe tracker behaviour under all conditions that may be experienced on site during the lifetime of the project. Although the industry has recognized this issue for some time, a satisfactory stage of evolution has not yet been reached. Accordingly, the industry has witnessed numerous public tracker failures resulting from conditions under operational thresholds.

Market standards are improving but development occurs in private. Therefore, progress tends to be slow. Specific design codes for trackers do not yet exist. In fact, specific design codes are not expected until 2022 at the earliest. Making matters more challenging – according to some schools of thought – is that design codes may be difficult to develop and apply.

Until widespread adoption of specific design codes are industry standard, project owners and prospective project owners need to be aware of the associated risks for trackers and we recommend they should consider the following mitigation options:

Understand that not all industry players are equivalent – some may not be motivated to adhere to best standards.
Seek an experienced developer and EPC contractor with expertise in tracker construction and operation.
Pursue a tracker manufacturer who can demonstrate an extensive successful track record in the region of your project, and seek appraisal of their product by an independent specialist.
Complete a project design review including whether site specific meteorological campaigns have occurred, the inclusion of campaign and site findings into the design, and adherence to independent study conclusions.
Product design review including assessing the validity of testing and designs, stow strategy and response times, static dynamic and aeroelastic testing considering full 3D multi-row testing, and bankability report review.
Review the completion of independent factory acceptance testing, construction monitoring and commissioning.
Examine the tracker supply contract, focusing on liquidated damages, acceptance tests, defect liability periods, defect and serial defect provisions, warranty provisions and force majeure definitions.
Explore insurance options to cover construction phase and/or operational phase perils.
Seek an independent engineer who can support you in project acquisition or operation.

RCG most recently supported technical due diligence efforts for 230 MW solar projects in Brazil which use horizontal single-axis trackers. The solar team has extensive experience analyzing projects with trackers across North, Central and South America, Europe and Middle East reviewing designs, supply contracts and associated technical studies and documentation.

Glasgow, Scotland – The Renewables Consulting Group (RCG), a sector specialist advisory firm, has announced the appointment of David Banks to boost the firm’s technical due diligence and lender’s technical advisory services offerings for onshore wind.

As the global development of onshore wind farms continues, so too has the demand for technical due diligence and lender’s technical advisory services. In response, the appointment of Banks brings a wealth of experience for the benefit of our clients.

RCG’s independent technical advisors identify risk in projects through market-leading due diligence, to help clients make sound investment decisions. This applies to for both onshore and offshore wind assignments, with no geographical restriction.

With a deep background in onshore technical due diligence, Banks has taken leadership roles in more than 40 international assignments, including vendor, acquisition and pre-financial close projects for both single site and large complex portfolios.

Before RCG, Banks oversaw the day-to-day management and delivery of several land-based construction monitoring projects. These assignments afforded Banks a specialist’s knowledge in wind farm operation, technology and construction.

Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Cole, RCG’s Managing Director – Europe, Middle East & Africa said:

“We are delighted that David has joined our team. From carrying out turbine inspections and attending sites during construction, David is keenly aware of the wide-ranging issues which arise during all stages of a project. His vast technical advisory experience with developers, sponsors, and lenders on the development, construction and operation of onshore wind farms will serve our clients well.” – Andrew Cole, Managing Director.

The Glasgow office is leading the acceleration of the firm’s due diligence platform and technical services in order to realise its overall goal of providing a top-tier market intelligence, management consulting, and technical advisory service to the renewable sector and delivering long-term value for clients.