Hannah Grieve

When did you join Natural Power? 

I am a relatively new member of the team and joined Natural Power in January 2024 along side two colleagues, Jamie and James. In the ControlCentre we provide a 24/7 service, which enables me to collaborate with various shift team members every week.   

How did you get into the role in the first place? 

Having graduated from the University of Glasgow, Dumfries campus with a Health and Social Sector Leadership degree last summer, I knew I wanted to stay in Dumfries and Galloway. The job advertised on Indeed and thought I would be a perfect fit. This job provides a wonderful work life balance - working full time over a four-day period. It seemed like the stars had aligned for me when I saw this position so close to home, having been at a loss for what to do when I finished my degree. Renewable energy is expanding and growing constantly, and I am relishing learning all about it. By the end of last year, I knew practically nothing about wind turbines; today I am working alongside them on a daily basis. I’m fascinated with the modern technology of creating green energy and continue to learn more about how they operate every day. We have settled in well with the diverse crew at the ControlCentre, and I consider myself fortunate to be a member of such a terrific team.   

What does your role entail? 

I work in the ControlCentre as an Operational Controller. My job includes speaking to hundreds of technicians and on-site workers daily, from all over the UK and Ireland. As an Operational Controller one of my main responsibilities is enforcing safety restrictions which includes checking and updating inductions and authorisation certifications for roles. The ControlCentre system is very well set up with many safety nets ensuring the transfer of assets (both in and out) in the most efficient and safe manner. I also create work orders to perform various tasks on various on-site assets, such as turbines, high-voltage assets, control buildings, eco systems, etc.  

I respond to various emails from clients, businesses, and technicians requesting work orders. We also offer a safe remote working system for both construction and ecology and utilise Garmin spot devices as a safety mechanism. Keeping an eye on wind farms and status reports to submit straight to the client periodically and other pertinent parties for that location. In this role we offer a service that handles any potential emergencies on the spot, collaborating with clients and emergency services. These are easily accessible to us and are known as emergency response plans. This includes exact grid locations and access plans for if any emergencies occur on any of the sites we manage. 

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

Every day at the ControlCentre is different, which I love because I get to work with different members of the team every day and bounce ideas off them. Everyone is very helpful and will jump to assist you in any circumstance, especially emergency calls. I'm still learning about all the different SCADA and there’s always something new to learn. I really enjoy speaking and building relationships with people who work on the windfarms on a regular basis.  

Back in March Jamie, James and I had a site visit to Brockloch Rig; it was great to meet some of the team members and see inside some turbines. Communicating with numerous windfarm employees and turbine technicians, who I have never met in person is a strange aspect of my job, so it was a bonus to meet some of the team there. 

Since the need for renewable energy is growing quickly, our team is also growing. Since I joined in January, there has been continuous growth within the ControlCentre, with more people on site than ever before. It's amazing to witness the long-term growth of this industry.