Get to know our team member Celine Solstad
From studying mathematics to diving into renewable energy at Greensight, Celine’s passion for technology and hydrogen developed.
Get to know Celine and find out what she does on her spare time 🤾♂️
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into the field of (maritime) hydrogen?
I have been a part of the Ocean Hyway Cluster group since last summer. I started on a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2016, with the purpose of getting a taste of studies within science, physics and programming. I had not yet decided what I wanted to be when I “grew up”, but I wanted to shape my thought process by taking a few classes. I have always had a curiosity in technology and the mechanisms behind how things works, and I was very happy when I found out that the university started a new integrated masters degree within energy (engineer). I finished my master’s degree summer of 2022, where I did an experimental thesis about underground hydrogen storage in porous media.
Were there any specific experiences during your studies that sparked your interest in (maritime) hydrogen?
On my third year of studies we were lucky to get the chance to work as interns in relevant companies as a course. That was the start of my work journey in Greensight, a consultant company within renewable energy, specializing in hydrogen.
As an intern I got a deeper understanding of the hydrogen market and got a better insight of how the different hydrogen technologies worked. After my semester in Greensight, I wanted to learn more about hydrogen and the work experience was the direct cause that I chose hydrogen related courses and wrote about hydrogen in my thesis.
What led you to work in the field?
Actually, as a part of my studies I took a class within hydrogen technologies, where we had a group assignment in collaboration with Ocean Hyway Cluster. Little did I know that I would be responsible for the exact same database we got access to a couple of years later!
I continued working part time in Greensight during my studies and I also got a job in the company after my studies. Last summer I got the opportunity to work with the Ocean Hyway Cluster team as a shared resource between the companies.
It has been very interesting to be a part of a cluster and a network where I am closer on the actors involved in the hydrogen value chain. I have always had an interest in new technologies, and it is very exciting to be a part of the, hopefully, beginning of the green transition and hydrogen future.
Can you share some highlights from your professional background and projects?
I have worked with the hydrogen market in many projects including identification of potential industrial offtakers, ship traffic analysis in context of future fuel demand in ports and energy calculations in general. I have also worked with different software to visualize databases for better understanding, and we hope to include some new features in our interactive maps the next year.
Are there any exciting developments or innovations in our valuechain that you find particularly promising or interesting?
I am very excited to see a lot of vessels project in the pipeline – I am responsible for our databases, including a mapping of low-carbon vessel projects, and see that a lot of actors have started their projects even though the infrastructure for fuel production is not fully in place. The solid oxide fuel cells can also be important in the maritime energy transition due to its fuel flexibility. It is important that producer and consumers are moving forward with project, and the newly presented Enova support programs can hopefully help reducing risk for project owners.
As part of our cluster, how do you collaborate with other members, and what benefits do you see in such collaborative efforts?
As a part of the technical team, I combine project work, work on the member area and member follow ups. We want to have frequently contact with our members, but the members choose how active they want to be and what they have capacity to. We see benefits of being close with actors across the hydrogen value chain, where we for instance can facilitate meeting between members but also use our network outside the cluster. The cluster and members are working toward a common goal, and everyone want to establish all elements necessary to have a fully developed hydrogen value chain. That will be very important in the following years.
Technical insight is an advantage for our cluster, where we also can contribute directly into projects we have with our members. Currently I am working on the retrofit of PSVs in Vestland project, a project that was started based on a brain storm between OHC and a cluster member. Later, we have invited relevant members to the project. The project aims to increase knowledge and to help actors move forward.
We also arrange webinars with topics relevant for the members. The previous webinars have been successful with many participants. We try to have a combination of members-only webinars and open for all to give our members exclusivity, but we will also have open webinars to share our members’ project and to attract potential new cluster members. We also want to invite our members to joint the webinars to share their experiences with the network.
Exclusive content is shared in our member area where we share project reports, databases and webinar recording with the members. Being in frequently contact with our members enables us to continuously have insight in what the industry needs.
Fun fact or something we don’t know about you?
Besides working in Ocean Hyway Cluster, I am a professional handball player! I am in my 6th season in the Norwegian elite division and have been a part of my team Fana for 10 years, where I have combined both studies and work. Last summer I also played my first official match for the Norwegian national team!
Hi!
Do you have comments on this article? Feel free to get in touch!
Karoline J Vågsholm
Communication Manager
+47 920 55 369
karoline.vagsholm@oceanhywaycluster.no
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