Offshore Wind & Data Centres: This Week's Top Energy Stories
1. Q&A: How to Train a New Generation of Offshore Wind Experts
Serene Hamsho, the Founder & President of the Offshore Wind Academy, tells us about the importance of education in addressing the global green skills gap
The energy transition requires a few key things: money, technology and people with the right knowledge and skills.
In recent years, the first two items in that list have been very forthcoming, with huge investments in cutting-edge renewable energy rebalancing the global energy mix.
The final point in that trifecta, however, has always been a little trickier to come by. As things stand, the demand for workers with green skills is outstripping supply by a significant margin.
An area of the energy sector in particular need of more recruitment is offshore wind. In the UK alone, it is anticipated that tens of thousands of engineering and maintenance roles will have to be filled by 2030 to carry out the government's energy plans.
As such, education has never been more important. One organisation offering this kind of specialist learning is the Offshore Wind Academy.
While it was only founded in 2023, the Academy has grown quickly thanks to its huge range of educators with experience at some of the world's largest energy firms.
In 2026, it is helping to educate a new generation of energy sector professionals all around the globe. To learn more about the firm's work, Energy Digital spoke to Serene Hamsho, the Offshore Wind Academy's Founder and President.
Read the full Q&A here.
2. Panthalassa: The Floating, Wave-Powered Data Centre Unicorn
AI’s appetite for energy is pushing investment into unchartered territory, with US start-up Panthalassa attracting millions for its floating data centres
If there were any doubt that necessity is the mother of invention, then the race to power AI has all but confirmed it.
Since the artificial intelligence boom began in earnest in 2022, one of the global economy’s biggest priorities has been finding ways to power the technology, with companies the world over vying to find solutions.
It is well known that AI programmes – and the data centres that prop them up – are huge consumers of energy.
In fact, the IEA projects that the sector’s energy consumption is expected to grow 30% a year until 2030, by which point AI will account for 3% of all the world’s energy use.
This huge spike in demand has led to some unusual, innovative developments in recent years, including rebooted nuclear power plants, satellite solar arrays and even investments in fusion reactors.
One particularly unconventional approach to the data centre dilemma has been wave power – an often overlooked form of renewable energy.
Panthalassa, an Oregon-based start-up that has spent a decade developing its wave energy technology, recently emerged as a frontrunner in this field.
It takes its name from the "superocean" that once surrounded Pangea before continental shaped the Earth as we know it today – an apt name for a company focused on harnessing the power of the sea.
This year, the firm raised US$140m in a financing round led by Peter Thiel, the venture capitalist behind Palantir and PayPal.
Such was the popularity of Panthalassa’s concept, the company is now valued at close to US$1bn including the new capital.
As well as Thiel, the funding round also drew support from the likes of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, PayPal and Affirm Co-Founder Max Levchin and veteran investor John Doerr, who was an early backer of Google, Amazon, Uber and Netscape.
3. Why Has ENGIE Sold Its Consultancy ENGIE Impact to Arcadia?
On April 29, French energy giant ENGIE sold its sustainability and resource management consultancy, ENGIE Impact, to Arcadia for an undisclosed fee
Washington DC-based energy intelligence platform Arcadia has agreed to acquire ENGIE Impact, the utility expense management, energy procurement and sustainability advisory arm of French multinational ENGIE.
The deal closed on 29 April and the timing is pointed. Energy demand and costs are rising around the world, and companies of all stripes are navigating this whilst often trying to maintain sustainability goals.
For Arcadia, the acquisition represents a significant step up in both scale and ambition.
Arcadia was founded in 2014 and has spent the past decade building what it describes as an AI-powered utility data infrastructure, offering enterprise clients tools for bill management, energy procurement advisory, sustainability reporting and data analytics.
ENGIE Impact was founded in 1996 and provides services in utility expense management, sustainability strategy and total waste management to clients including FedEx, Cargill and UnitedHealthcare.
In recent years, a large part of Impact's offering has been Ellipse, a data tool to designed to help clients along the road to decarbonisation by allowing them to measure and report carbon footprint, design carbon reduction roadmaps and track their progress.
4. Why Octopus Energy is Backing a US$500m Reforestation Push
Octopus Energy is investing US$500m in US forestry projects, targeting long-term CO₂ removal and supporting energy sector decarbonisation goals
Octopus Energy is committing US$500m to large-scale reforestation and afforestation projects in the US, signalling growing interest in nature-based energy transition strategies.
The investment, developed with carbon removal company Living Carbon, focuses on restoring degraded land to capture carbon dioxide over the long term. An additional US$13m will support Living Carbon’s development business, strengthening project delivery and scaling operations.
As energy companies work to meet net zero targets, carbon removal is becoming an important part of the wider decarbonisation mix alongside renewable generation and efficiency measures.
Reforestation and afforestation – the planting of trees on previously forested or non-forested land – are increasingly recognised as tools for carbon sequestration. This process captures CO₂ from the atmosphere and stores it in biomass and soil over time.
Octopus Energy Generation’s investment aims to remove up to 45 million tonnes of CO₂ across the next 40 years. This long-term approach aligns with energy sector requirements, where emissions reductions must be balanced with credible removal strategies.
Zoisa North-Bond, CEO of Octopus Energy Generation, positions the deal within the company’s broader energy strategy. “This is a landmark deal for us in the US and a huge step in our mission to invest in solutions that drive the planet toward a cleaner future,” she says.
“Having industry leaders and the world’s largest tech giants backing these projects sends a powerful signal that this market is ready to grow.
"Nature itself is a remarkable force for capturing carbon – by restoring these ecosystems, we can make a real difference for both rural communities and the climate.”
5. Hitachi Vantara: Powering Data with Less Energy
Hitachi Vantara's 2025 sustainability report shows how renewable electricity and efficiency tools can reduce emissions from data centres and operations
Hitachi Vantara, a subsidiary of Hitachi, is placing energy use and carbon reduction at the core of its latest sustainability plans.
The company, which provides intelligent data platforms, infrastructure systems and digital solutions, has set out its direction in its 2025 Sustainability Report, Looking Ahead to the Future.
The report tracks progress against targets that focus on emissions, renewable energy and energy efficiency across both its own operations and customer environments.
The business aims to reach carbon neutrality throughout its value chain by FY2050.
As part of that pathway, it has set a nearer-term goal to become carbon neutral in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by FY2030.
In FY2025, Hitachi Vantara recorded a 43% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions. The company links much of that progress to an increase in renewable energy use, alongside changes in how its facilities operate and how energy is sourced.
Akinobu Shimada, CEO of Hitachi Vantara, says: “At Hitachi Vantara, our purpose is clear: to help our customers and partners succeed by delivering innovative, high-performing solutions that are designed for a more resilient and responsible future.
