Study with OcEn

Lead Supervisor: Dr Emma Sheehan , University of Plymouth
Secondary Supervisor: Professor Lars Johanning, University of Plymouth
Third Supervisor: Professor Beth Scott, b.e.scott@abdn.ac.uk, University of Aberdeen
International Supervisor: Dr Curran Crawford, curranc@uvic.ca, University of Victoria;  Dr Shana Lee Hirsch, slhirsch@uw.edu, University of Washington

The UK Government has committed to be at the forefront of the green industrial revolution by accelerating progress towards our legally binding 2050 net zero emissions by creating a new target for floating offshore wind (FOW) to deliver 1GW of energy by 2030. This is over 15 times the current volumes worldwide and is concomitant with the Crown Estate declaring its ambition to unlock up to 4.5GW of new clean energy capacity in England and Wales. Similar, the United States transition to renewable energy is also ambitious, with the country working toward a goal of installing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035. However, there is now an extensive body of research on the potential impacts of offshore wind installations on biodiversity and these have played an important role on the pace of consenting processes and location of individual arrays. In particular, there is justifiable concern about the effects that windfarms may have on seabird populations via direct mortality, cost of avoidance and habitat loss, but the need for renewable energy generation at scale has never been more acute. To date, most work has focussed on describing how such installations may impact individual birds and it has proved much harder to assess any demographic consequences. More importantly ecologists and windfarm engineers have largely worked independently and as such many potential routes to mitigation, particularly with respect to array configuration, size, orientation, and colocation of installations remain unexplored. 

This project aims to develop a mitigation tool that considers seabird behaviour to introduction of offshore wind farms configuration options. This will help to de-risk investment, mitigate environmental impact at both a species and population level, and optimize the build programme by incorporating mitigations throughout the design process. The aim is to develop a mitigation tool that considers seabird behaviour to introduction of offshore wind farms configuration options that limit their impact on biodiversity while remaining economically viable across multiple scales. The objectives are:

Lead Supervisor: Professor Deborah Greaves OBE FREng , University of Plymouth
Secondary Supervisor: Professor Lars Johanning , University of Plymouth
Third Supervisor: Ms Jiaxin Chen , University of Plymouth
International Supervisors: Dr Bryson Robertson, bryson.robertson@oregonstate.edu, Oregon State University; Dr Curran Crawford, curranc@uvic.ca, University of Victoria 

Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) has emerged as a promising renewable energy technology, necessary to access offshore wind resources in deeper water and further offshore, building on proven success in fixed-bottom offshore wind installations. Large-scale deployment of FLOW is seen as a key strategy in the transition away from fossil fuels towards sustainable energy sources, however the cumulative effects on atmospheric and oceanographic processes are not well known.

Research on the atmospheric effects of FLOW, such as wind-speed reduction and wake effects, has been studied within the Fitch model framework (Fitch et al., 2012) and its extensions, and integrated into models like the Weather Research Forecasting system (Archer et al., 2020; Kirby et al., 2022; Nishino & Dunstan, 2020). The underwater impacts of FLOW, particularly the floater’s influence on mixing enhancement in terms of the momentum sink, turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) and dissipation, remain less explored. Existing parameterisation methods for bottom-fixed offshore wind monopiles, including the dry cell approach (Cazenave et al., 2016; Christiansen et al., 2023; Murray & Gallego, 2014) and drag parameterisation (Christiansen et al., 2023), lay the groundwork for understanding the impact of underwater structures. However, parameterisation for FLOW will be different from fixed turbines due to their motion response to wave, wind and current action, and because less of the water column is affected. The parameterisation will also vary with floater and mooring design, as different designs will have different draft and motion characteristics leading to different scales and extent of mixing. In addition, the two-way coupling effects, which consider the modified atmosphere's impact on the sea state and the subsequent effects on FLOW-turbine motions, are a relatively uncharted research frontier.

Integration and Impacts on Marine and Atmospheric Systems (FLOW-IIMAS) PhD offers an innovative opportunity for those interested in pursuing research at the forefront of renewable energy technology. The programme's ground-breaking research initiative explores the intricate interactions between floating offshore wind farms and their surrounding marine and atmospheric environments. The FLOW-IIMAS programme employs state-of-the-art modelling techniques and access to laboratory and field data to optimise the sustainability and efficiency of FLOW technologies, thereby advancing the understanding of how wind power can be harnessed above and below the ocean's surface.

Lead Supervisor: Professor Lars Johanning, University of Plymouth
Secondary Supervisor: Dr Shuya Zhong, sz2195@bath.ac.uk, University of Bath
Third Supervisor: Dr Chenyu Zhao , University of Plymouth 
International Supervisors TBC: Professor Robert Perrons, robert.perrons@qut.edu.au, Queensland University of Technology; Dr Brad Buckham, bbuckham@uvic.ca, University of Victoria

As of 2023, with 14.7GW of operational capacity, the UK stands as the world’s second-largest offshore wind market, contributing 21% to the global capacity. This capacity quadrupled over the past ten years and now fulfils 14% of the UK’s entire electricity needs. Ambitiously, the capacity is targeted to more than treble to 50GW by 2030 to meet the Net Zero target. Additionally, the total project pipeline in all stages of development, now stands at 99.5GW, in which nearly 45GW could be fully operational by the end of 2030. Similar, the United States transition to renewable energy is also ambitious, with the country working toward a goal of installing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, whilst Canada and Australia target for 5GW and 9GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 2040, respectively. 10% of a wind project’s lifetime cost stems from the supply chain processes. With the scale-up, every million invested in the supply chain will generate over one million in additional economic value annually. The UK’s offshore wind supply chain could capture £47 billion in economic value by 2040 by leveraging whole-system approaches to reduce cost.  

This PhD studentship aims to enhance the cost-effectiveness of building offshore wind farms through development of a supply chain network integrated planning tool. The objective is to design a decision-making tool to achieve holistic, intelligent planning of wind turbine manufacturing, logistics, assembly, and installation processes, considering joint use of ports and logistics resources to unlock underutilised capabilities. The research can ease the supply chain limits on offshore renewable energy deployment and maximise the decarbonisation effect of offshore renewable growth. The studentship will focus on applying the simulation optimisation methodologies to a four-tier supply chain network for planning the farm development.  

Lead Supervisor: Professor Ian Bailey , University of Plymouth
Secondary Supervisor: Professor Melanie Austen , University of Plymouth
International Supervisors: Associate Professor Hilary Boudet, hilary.boudet@oregonstate.edu, Oregon State University; Associate Professor Shawn Hazboun, shawn.hazboun@oregonstate.edu, Oregon State University

Offshore renewable energy (ORE) projects are purported to offer multiple benefits to coastal communities but can also trigger local resistance based on concerns about their impacts on valued physical and cultural land/seascapes, existing industries, and the social fabric of communities. Community benefit schemes can help to compensate for adverse effects and contribute to local development (Cass et al., 2010) but are often still viewed warily by local stakeholders who mistrust developers’ motives and/or hold concerns about lack of inclusivity in fund decision-making and their capacity to meet the employment and infrastructure needs of affected communities (Kerr et al., 2017; Rudolph et al., 2018). As a consequence, community benefits have yet to fulfil their potential of engaging and empowering communities as critical partners in the expansion of ORE (Tyler et al., 2022). This project engages with these issues through an in-depth comparative analysis of existing community benefit schemes and of novel, community-centred approaches that better meet the needs of host communities while simultaneously easing community opposition to ORE development.

Offshore renewable energy (ORE) has the potential to make significant contributions to the decarbonisation of energy systems and the economic and social wellbeing of regions where ORE facilities are constructed. However, existing community benefit schemes have often been developer- rather than community-led and poorly oriented towards addressing structural challenges facing coastal communities. 

This project will explore innovative approaches to designing and managing community benefits generated from ORE projects. The researcher will work within an international interdisciplinary team reviewing existing schemes and co-creating a community-centred scheme aimed at extending and deepening the social and environmental value gained from utilising ORE resources.