Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, Chi Onwurah MP, praised the ‘pioneering’ work of a UK clean energy specialist on Friday [15 Nov].
Image Credit: Kinewell Energy
Visiting the head office of Kinewell Energy, in her Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West constituency, Ms Onwurah was given a demonstration of how the company’s AI-powered software solutions are helping deliver some of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.
Ms Onwurah also tried her hand at using the company’s Kinewell Layout Optimization of Cable (KLOC) software, which helps developers rapidly design optimised inter-array cable layouts for offshore wind farms.
The visit coincided with the final days of the UK Government’s International Trade Week and Maths Week England, both of which took place from Monday 11th November to Friday 15th November, and the latter of which Ms Onwurah supported in parliament by sponsoring the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences Maths Week Parliamentary Expo.
Led by the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences, Maths Week is an annual celebration of mathematics, aiming to advance the mathematical sciences – such as those harnessed by Kinewell Energy - for discovery, innovation and the economy.
Following the visit, Chi Onwurah MP said: “It was great to visit the Kinewell Energy team last week and hear all about the company’s innovative software solutions, which are developed in the North East of England but are helping to accelerate the development of offshore wind farms the world-over.
“When I welcomed attendees to the Maths Week Parliamentary Expo last week, I spoke about how mathematical sciences are key to the UK’s science and tech expertise and leadership, our growth, our resilience and our security. The solutions developed by
Kinewell Energy are a great example of what we can achieve by channelling such expertise into the right areas and investing in the mathematicians of the future.”
Chi, as a chartered engineer who worked in the telecoms industry prior to entering politics, met with several staff members during the visit, including founder and CEO, Dr Andrew Jenkins, graduates who had relocated to the North East to work for Kinewell Energy and Dr Henna Bains, the firm’s recently appointed chief technical officer (CTO).
Chi added: “The North East is home to world-leading research facilities, universities and businesses which have helped transform the region into a global centre for offshore engineering and green energy over recent years.
“This growth and the emergence of a cluster of innovative scale-ups, such as Kinewell Energy, has already created thousands of highly skilled jobs for the region, and with GB Energy and a long-term industrial strategy set to turbocharge the industry, there is absolutely no reason why the North East can’t lead the global fight against climate change, with companies like Kinewell leading the charge.”
Dr Jenkins said: “It was a real honour hosting Chi at our new office today and a fitting way to round off the Maths Week and International Trade Week celebrations.
“As a cleantech scale-up selling to customers across the globe and creating skilled jobs, right here in the North East, it was a fantastic opportunity for our team to meet not only our local MP, but also the Minister responsible for – and shares our ambition of – ensuring the UK remains a green energy superpower.”
Kinewell Energy’s three software-as-a-service solutions – KLOC, KWOTA and KDOTS - are utilized by some of the world’s largest renewable energy producers, such as Equinor and SSE Renewables.
The North East company has increased its headcount by 55% over the past 12 months following a string of contract wins and with further projects in the pipeline, Dr Jenkins is confident about the future.
Dr Jenkins added: “We’ve introduced two more solutions to market over the past 18 months in the form of KDOTS and KWOTA, which help streamline the wind farm export system design and optimize the turbine layout which further increases energy yields. “Both KDOTS and KWOTA solutions have received glowing feedback from our clients who have utilized each product so far, and as global take-up continues to increase, this will only lead to a need to continue growing our headcount and delivering more green jobs for the North East of England.”