Head of Business Development Colin Pearce on his career, the wind industry and his role at Boston Energy

We caught up with our new Head of Business Development, Colin Pearce, to talk about his role at Boston Energy and where he sees the future of wind energy, as the utilisation of renewable energy becomes more important than ever.

Hi Colin! Let’s kick things off, what do you like to get up to in your spare time outside of work?

Quite dull, I’m afraid. A bit of gardening, a bit of walking in the North York hills (mainly to the pubs), and very slowly renovating an MGBGT. Oh, and we like to visit the theatre every now and then, we’ll be going to see Rocky Horror this weekend.

How have you been involved in the wind industry, up to your role at Boston Energy?

I’ve been working in Business Development in the offshore wind industry for around 12 years now. Mainly for engineering companies working on vessel design & tooling. Before that, I was a tidal turbine developer for 5 years. Still the best design out there!

Why did you choose a career in the wind sector and what piece of advice would you give someone looking to get into the industry?

I specifically choose to enter renewables. I looked around at growth industries to work out where the future was & what I could contribute to. Renewables not only covers that but also helps to make our future better. For newcomers, I’d suggest they look at their strengths and work out where that can make a difference. Get in as soon as you can and grow with the opportunities.

What would you say has been the most rewarding moment of your career in the wind industry?

Working for Boston Energy of course! Or winning the contract to build a pre-piling template for East Anglia 1.

What do you find the most challenging about working in this industry?

A few years ago, the challenge was getting people to believe that wind energy would amount to a proper industry and that costs would come down. Now, the biggest problem is deploying it all quickly enough.

Where do you see renewable energy, specifically wind energy, going in the UK in the future?

Offshore and bigger. Also floating –west coast as well as Energy islands in the middle of the North Sea –surrounded by turbines and routing that power to the countries that need it most. Oh and Nuclear Fusion -the holy grail of energy. Who knows, maybe even some tidal.

Can you talk a little bit about what Boston Energy is getting up to at the minute?

Boston Energy is and will continue to grow with the Offshore Renewables industry. We’re excited for more opportunities in the UK, both pre-install and maintenance (and floating) as well as across Europe. We’re also expanding in a few of our locations such as the US and Taiwan and further exploring new geographies including Vietnam, Australia, India, Turkey, Poland, etc. To quote the immortal Del Boy, “the world’s your lobster, Rodders”.