Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

By Timothy Axelsson

The green energy revolution is happening worldwide and is providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for society, the environment, industry and finance to collectively achieve success for the good of mankind and our planet.

The energy industry at large is dependent on a first-class service for the movement of people, parts and machinery throughout the entire supply chain. Liberty Green Logistics will focus on consolidated service offerings and value creation in the supply chain for renewables and particularly the U.S. offshore wind industry.

Green energy is different from other forms of energy in that it has scalability in both directions. Electricity as an energy source can be as regional as utility scale wind and solar generating facilities, to as local as residential solar panels, electric vehicles, and the battery powered cell phones we all carry around.

Electrification of the world started with Tesla and Edison in the U.S. in the 1880s, and it continues today with a transition to the sun and wind as fuel sources. Making power from the environment has been in our collective consciousness ever since Einstein in 1905 showed us the power in a ray of sunshine, and James Blyth in 1887 invented the first wind turbine in Scotland.

Today, the U.S. renewable energy markets are already a mature industry on land with 122 gigawatts, or GW, of wind capacity and 100GW of solar capacity, making the U.S. second globally in renewable capacity. Now the U.S. is turning towards the ocean as the next source of green energy, where the fuel source is steady, the location is socially acceptable, and there is the least impact to the environment.

Green energy as a resource is available worldwide, but make no mistake, the mechanisms to extract these free resources are not free. The good news is the equipment and technologies to extract this globally available resource have been on an exponential path of development with a doubling of capacity in wind turbines every five years, starting in 1995 with a 0.5 megawatt machine through to today with the announcement of a 15 MW machine. Each of these technological advances presents a more efficient, cost-effective means of resource extraction, consequently lowering the cost to produce and supply the energy.

The new U.S. offshore wind industry requires the movement of parts and pieces consisting of heavy structures, large turbines, and miles of wire to support, transmute, and transmit green energy to society. This coordinated movement, otherwise known as supply chain logistics, is where Liberty Green will assist and actively participate in a variety of sectors in the industry to add value to our partners, clients and the global community.

Further advances in technology will continue, and together the global supply chain will undergo its own advances in sustainable activities and transportation systems. The ultimate goal of achieving a circular economy is clearly underway and the Liberty team wants to contribute to the collective future of clean energy production.  


Timothy Axelsson is director offshore wind for Liberty Green Logistics. He has worked in offshore renewal energy since 2010, following a 28-year career in commercial fishing, offshore oil and submarine cabling. Starting as project director for Fishermen’s Energy, he moved to Vestas as U.S. project director for offshore wind projects, before joining Liberty Green Logistics.

Axelsson will participate in the Breakbulk Americas panel, “U.S. Offshore Wind: Are We Ready?,” which will be held at 1:15 to 2 p.m. Sept. 29.

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