Shona Pennock is Lead Energy Systems Engineer at CorPower Ocean, a wave energy technology developer. Their role combines energy systems modelling, optimisation and data analysis with communicating technical work to commercial teams and wider audiences.
Profile snapshot
Role: Lead Energy Systems Engineer
Organisation type: Private company
Country / region: UK / Europe
Role type: Engineer
Focus areas: Renewable energy; Engineering; Modelling; Technology
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Your current role
What is your current role, and what kind of organisation do you work for?
I am Lead Energy Systems Engineer at CorPower Ocean, a wave energy technology developer. CorPower are at the leading edge of wave energy, with a full-scale demonstration project underway in Portugal, and several larger projects under development in Portugal and Scotland.
What does a typical week look like?
For me no two weeks look the same – my job is very varied. Some days I am running energy system optimisation studies in Python, some I am working with the commercial team on a whitepaper release or the projects team on a Front End Engineering and Design study. This variety is great for me! Most days my work is generally desk-based and I work from home in Scotland, but I often travel to our company offices to visit and meet with colleagues, or attend and present at conferences around Europe. This week for example I am travelling from Scotland to our head office in Sweden, where I will run some internal workshops on energy systems modelling with the CorPower team.
What skills do you use most often in your role, including any technical, practical, or soft skills?
I spend a lot of time working on data analysis and optimisation problems in Python, so that involves technical skills in coding, maths, data visualisation and problem solving. I work within the commercial team at CorPower, and although I have quite a technical role, I also spend quite a bit of time summarising and communicating technical outputs to wider audiences across the company and beyond.
Every job has a best part and a worst part. What are they for you?
It sounds a little cheesy but my favourite part is being part of the wider CorPower team, and seeing us collaboratively make history in wave energy engineering. I was able to visit the demonstration site in Portugal earlier this month and see our full-scale wave energy converter generating power to the Portuguese grid – very inspiring and motivating. The worst part is getting up for the occasional 8am meeting in Sweden (7am in Scotland) – I am not a morning person!
Your route into this work
How did you get into this work, and were there any key opportunities, decisions, or turning points along the way?
I started working at CorPower three years ago, after having collaborated with the company a lot during my time as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Edinburgh. It’s very interesting to work on the industry side now after a long time in academia – very different time pressures, but both very fulfilling! A key turning point for me in my career was moving from a PhD focused on wind energy to a post-doc which was more focused on innovation and ocean energy. It opened up a whole world within renewables that I previously hadn’t considered, and has led me to some amazing opportunities at CorPower.
What education, training, or experience helped you get into this role?
I have an MSc in Renewable Energy Systems, and a PhD in Wind Energy Systems. My PhD was with the Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Strathclyde, and it was a really great experience to be in an office filled with other PhD students in wind energy, and to have a very thorough training programme before beginning my research. Working so closely with CorPower during my post-doctoral research position also really helped me learn about the company, and allowed them to see where my experience could contribute going forward.
Reflections and advice
What advice would you give someone interested in this kind of work, and where should they look for their first step?
I would say that working in wave energy is incredibly interesting and exciting, and it’s a great choice! You can find job opportunities at CorPower Ocean via our website, and we often attend careers events in Stockholm, where we have our head office. You can also attend ocean energy conferences to learn more about the sector and speak to us directly.