New Fred. Olsen 1848 floating solar lead brings experience from SolarDuck, Equinor

August 21, 2025, by Zerina Maksumić

Oslo-headquartered Fred. Olsen 1848 has appointed Francisco Guillermo Vozza as Business Development Director for floating solar.

Pilot Project BRIZO in Risør, Norway. Source: Fred. Olsen 1848 (For Illustration purposes)

According to Fred. Olsen 1848, Vozza, an energy industry executive with two decades of experience, will be responsible for shaping the company’s global market strategy and advancing the commercialization of its BRIZO floating solar technology.

“I am honoured to join Fred. Olsen 1848 and grateful to the leadership for the trust placed in me with this appointment. I am excited to work with the talented BRIZO team,” Vozza said.

“Together, we will drive international growth and further consolidate BRIZO as a world-leading solution in floating solar to support the growth of renewables for our planet’s future.”

Before joining Fred. Olsen 1848, Vozza served as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at floating solar company SolarDuck. He also held positions at Equinor and Scatec.

The BRIZO project is designed to follow the motion of the ocean, and the floating solar modules can move individually within a pre-tensioned rope mesh, allowing them to adjust to various environmental conditions.

The company said that this feature enables them to function effectively in inland waterbodies as well as near and offshore locations. The mesh and mooring system help the overall stability and longevity of BRIZO, distributing wave and wind loads.

Another characteristic of BRIZO is that it features an integrated operations and maintenance (O&M) catamaran, which is said to set a benchmark for cost-effective maintenance in floating photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Fred. Olsen 1848 was established at the end of 2021 by Norway’s Bounheur. The company is dedicated to developing and commercializing new technologies related to renewable energy, such as floating offshore wind and floating solar.