Thought Leadership
Technology’s role in the future energy mix
Published
03 Feb 2022
Authors
Jaco Stemmet
Globally, there’s an ever-increasing level of understanding and awareness amongst wider society, that a sustainable future and a diverse energy mix are intrinsically linked. When it comes to the process of energy production, the focus cannot solely be on how to do more but on how to do better. This means ensuring that actions in the short term do not adversely affect the long-term health of the planet.
With significant population growth and ever more urbanisation and infrastructure, the demand for energy is increasing exponentially. Continued advances in technology are helping energy producers rethink and expand their current operations to make a diverse energy mix a viable and competitive option.
A More Sustainable Solution
Increased integration of remote technology will transform maritime operations and maintenance (O&M) practices and bring significant benefits for the energy industry.
For example, when it comes to the maintenance and inspection of offshore energy assets, Fugro operates a number of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs). These vessels can perform surveys and collect data offshore without the need for a physical crew – and are controlled by our global network of onshore remote operations centres (ROCs).
Fugro’s Blue Essence™ USV in port after performing a nearshore inspection on the North West shelf of Australia.
“USV technology does not replace the need for skilled personnel within the industry; rather, it has the potential to allow them to work more efficiently and in a safer remote operation environment.”
Jaco Stemmet
Fugro Director Africa
This not only allows for near real time data collection, but also significantly reduces both safety risks and overall carbon footprint. The ability to deploy, manage and operate uncrewed vessels from ROCs anywhere in the world means fewer people working in extreme and potentially hazardous environments, as well as reducing the need for travel across countries.
Solutions in Advanced Technology
Digitalisation and technological developments have introduced new ways of working on marine energy projects for renewables as well as for oil and gas, resulting in improved safety, project efficiencies and reduced costs. By leveraging developments in the field of cloud processing and data streaming, Fugro can deliver data quicker than via traditional methods so inspection engineers obtain better quality insights in near real time from the comfort of their office. Moreover, any move towards sustainable operations is a form of support for longer-term energy transition.
Our remote operations centre (ROC) in Aberdeen
Fugro’s purpose is to create a safe and liveable world. Which is why we tailor our approach of acquiring, analysing and advising on Geo-data to reduce risk for our clients over the entire life cycle of energy assets, whether marine or land, renewables, oil and gas or UXO’s. By combining remote technology and digitalisation with our integrated solutions, we are revolutionising how we help our clients to manage the construction and performance of their energy assets.
Did you know?
Fugro has completed over 350,000 hours of remote operations globally.
About the author
Jaco Stemmet is Director Africa at Fugro