Orkney man who spotted gap in local energy market now designs and builds solar boats

The Stromness firm supplies environmental energy consultancy to more than 30 countries and has complete over 1,200 projects.

By Alex Banks

July 22 2024, 6:00 am

Aquatera Group chief executive Gareth Davies. Image: DCT Media Date; Unknown

Every Monday, we ask small businesses key questions. Here we speak to Gareth Davies, the chief executive of Aquetera Group in Orkney.

How and why did you start in business?

After working for a university spinout business for 13 years, I realised that there was space for a progressive, delivery-focussed, independent environmental and sustainable energy consultancy, based in Orkney but trading globally on a syndicate basis.

Aquatera was born in 2000.

How did you get to where you are today?

Dogged determination, never giving up, always being prepared to go the extra mile, networking sincerely based on real relationships, working with brilliant and complementary colleagues, associates and delivery partners, being trusted and appreciated by great clients, and always telling the truth.

Today, operating in more than 30 countries and headquartered in Stromness, Aquatera provides a wide variety of environmental and sustainable energy services for a broad range of sectors, clients including national and local governments, large and small businesses, multinational corporations and community groups.

Who helped you?

Building close relationships and teamwork are central to everything I believe in, and there are too many people and organisations to name.

However, we’ve just joined the Federation of Small Business (FSB) and are looking forward to accessing their services.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever had?

My father always said, “Don’t pray for an easy life, pray for a strong constitution”.

He was so right.

As students in Heriot-Watt University’s Marine Biology Department we were taught to seek out and question the underlying logic in everything, and to always remember that we might be wrong. Critical appraisal was engrained early.

Years ago, a Dutch colleague taught me that the most important question is why?

Much more recently, a colleague in Aquatera found an article about the ‘5 whys’ process – I was in heaven.

What is your biggest mistake?

I’ve always believed in the good in the world and in the importance of trust.

On balance this has led to positive outcomes, but I’ve sometimes been too trusting, choosing to ignore the alarm bells and plough on.

What is your greatest achievement?

Growing an independent environmental and sustainable energy consultancy with global reach and an international workforce from scratch, and completing over 1,200 projects incorporating numerous local, national and global pioneering achievements.

And all this from Stromness, where we seek to play a full role at the heart of the community.

Stromness waterfront with architecture old and new. — Aquatera Group is located in Stromness, Orkney. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.

We’ve developed a unique spatial decision support framework, RADMApp, which helps businesses, governments, communities and people make better, more informed decisions about where to site and route developments, where to invest, and where negative impacts and positive opportunities are most likely to arise.

And I’m delighted to have been at Scotland’s 1990 Grand Slam victory over England at Murrayfield, and proud to have been asked to open Stromness’ Shopping Week.

How is your business managing rapidly rising costs, and what should government do to help?

We undertake a large amount of government-funded R&D. This often has 3-month billing cycles and is funded at sub-commercial percentage interventions.

Government says innovation is a priority and then disadvantages companies who engage in it. Urgent reform is needed.

Corporation tax could be managed more like income tax, with the percentage payable increasing as profits rise, and with more support for marginal but important and viable businesses, particularly in priority sectoral or geographical areas.

What do you still hope to achieve?

To help society achieve an accelerated and just carbon transition, facilitated by establishing community-focussed energy services companies and community energy transition banks.

We’ve already designed, built, launched and sailed one solar outrigger boat, and we hope to follow-up with many more.

It has so much potential for vessels of all sizes worldwide.

I also want Orkney to be recognised as a transition innovation hub, and Scapa Flow to become a major offshore wind assembly and integration base.

What do you do to relax?

I love watching and talking rugby, photography, cycling, walking, boating, canoeing, pot gardening (very low effort), listening and dancing to brilliant local musicians and singers, cooking for friends, and socialising in the Arctic Whaler.