New additions to the team include Strategy and Business Development Director João Neves, Mechanical Engineer Javier G. Cervilla and Junior Structural Engineer Lucy Milde. The recruits bring a wealth of experience from world leading firms and institutions including the Boston Consulting Group, General Electric and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
X1 Wind CEO & Co-Founder Alex Raventos said the team growth represents a step-change for the firm and will underpin the transition towards pre-commercial projects.
“We are thrilled to announce a series of new high-profile appointments, which will charge up the X1 Wind operation at a critical phase as we accelerate towards commercialisation,” he said. “We have focused on carefully refining our technology, in order to create a truly unique and disruptive floating wind energy solution. Our overarching aim is to make a meaningful contribution to help combat climate change through large-scale decarbonization of the energy system. With this goal in mind, we have taken time to assemble a close-knit group of excellent engineers covering all core areas necessary to develop our innovative floating wind technology as well as experts on strategy and business development. Our new recruits will play an important role, helping to inform and accelerate our technical and commercial strategy. Importantly, they bring shared values, which is crucial to the X1 Wind company ethos, backed by passion, experience and talent. In the coming months we will be progressing through a series of important stages with the PivotBuoy pilot project deploying our first operational prototype in an open ocean environment. In parallel with this we are working on the design and certification of our first full-scale floating wind unit, while evaluating pre-commercial sites and projects.”
X1 Wind’s innovative technology is designed to substantially reduce the current Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) of floating wind through reduced floater weight, a faster and cheaper installation process and a more reliable operation. The system is connected to a single point mooring system in a downwind configuration – creating a ‘weathervaning’ solution which maximises use of passive systems.
João Neves, former Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group and INSEAD MBA, said: “I am thrilled to become a part of this project. I believe that we need to do everything we can to accelerate the energy transition, and floating wind has a massive potential to contribute to this goal. Nevertheless, it still requires innovation to become a competitive technology and that’s what we strive for at X1 Wind. It is a pleasure to work with a technology that has such a tremendous potential, alongside a world-class team.”
Former Alstom Power and GE Renewable Mechanical engineer Javier G. Cervilla said: “I am very excited to join the X1 Wind family. The team is forging a path as a world-leading floating wind developer, with a truly novel solution. I couldn’t resist this rare opportunity to help redefine floating wind rules and indulge my passion for innovative solutions, which will underpin the future energy transition.”
X1 Wind was set up in 2017. Its technology has advanced rapidly from concept design to demonstration in less than four years. This has been achieved through strong backing from private investment and public sector funding, with further recognition from leading institutions including EIT Innoenergy, EIC Accelerator, CDTI, ENISA and ACCIO, in addition to the H2020 funding for this specific project.
X1 Wind’s team benefits from more than 20 years’ experience within leading renewable energy, engineering and strategy institutions including Alstom, Siemens Gamesa, ABB, Rolls Royce, Ecotenia, Boston Consulting Group, the Singularity University, Imperial College London, INSEAD and UPC.
About X1 Wind
X1 Wind is a disruptive floating wind technology developer. Based in Barcelona, Spain, the firm’s mission is to provide highly scalable solutions which deliver clean, affordable energy while reducing carbon emissions across the globe. The company’s unique floating wind concept was initially developed by Carlos Casanovas in 2012 while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), before progressing the patented technology for almost a decade. In recent years, X1 Wind has rapidly progressed its technology, completing the design, assembly and load-out of a fully-functional part-scale demonstrator. The company has also successfully executed several test campaigns, while steadily building a world-class team of offshore wind and maritime sector experts, backed by decades of experience. X1 Wind has been recognised by Sifted, the startup news agency backed by the Financial Times, as one of the top European sustainability start-ups to watch in 2021.