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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number EP/R007497/2
Title Investigation of the novel challenges of an integrated offshore multi-purpose platform
Status Completed
Energy Categories Renewable Energy Sources(Ocean Energy) 20%;
Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics) 10%;
Renewable Energy Sources(Wind Energy) 20%;
Not Energy Related 50%;
Research Types Basic and strategic applied research 100%
Science and Technology Fields BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Biological Sciences) 25%;
BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science) 25%;
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 25%;
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences) 25%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation Not Cross-cutting 50%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Environmental dimensions) 25%;
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Other sociological economical and environmental impact of energy) 25%;
Principal Investigator Dr M Collu
No email address given
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
University of Strathclyde
Award Type Standard
Funding Source EPSRC
Start Date 01 August 2018
End Date 02 January 2021
Duration 30 months
Total Grant Value £574,901
Industrial Sectors Energy
Region Scotland
Programme Energy : Energy
 
Investigators Principal Investigator Dr M Collu , Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, University of Strathclyde (99.993%)
  Other Investigator Professor WE Leithead , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Dr O Anaya-Lara , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde (0.001%)
Dr SR Jude , School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University (0.001%)
Dr A Kolios , School of Engineering, Cranfield University (0.001%)
Dr B Wilson , Scottish Association For Marine Science (0.001%)
Dr SJJ Heymans , Scottish Association For Marine Science (0.001%)
Dr A Hughes , Scottish Association For Marine Science (0.001%)
  Industrial Collaborator Project Contact , DNV GL (UK) (0.000%)
Project Contact , Harbin Engineering University, China (0.000%)
Project Contact , BPP-TECH (0.000%)
Project Contact , China Classification Society, China (0.000%)
Project Contact , FAI Aquaculture Ltd. - Ardtoe Marine Research (0.000%)
Project Contact , Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), China (0.000%)
Project Contact , Equinor ASA, Norway (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract The Made in China 2025 report, highlights ocean renewable energy technologies as one of the 10 areas of opportunity for UK and Chinese companies. The "Outline of the National Marine Economic Development Plan" specifically targets the development of novel ocean farming methods, more productive but also more socially and environmentally compatible. In the EU, the "Blue Growth" program aims at sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors, already representing 5.4 million jobs and generating a gross added value of 500 billion euros a year.Offshore structures are very costly. The main idea of a Multi-Purpose Platform (MPP), integrating (for example) renewable energy devices and aquaculture facilities, is to find the synergies to share manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance, and decommissioning costs.This has the potential to, save money, reduce the overall impact, and maximize the socio-economic benefits.MPP development poses cross-disciplinary challenges, since they simultaneously aim to achieve several potentially conflicting objectives: to be techno-economically feasible, environmentally considered, socially beneficial, and compatible with maritime legislations. In the EU, previous research focused on farms of multi-megawatt MPP (ocean renewable devices + aquaculture systems), with very few/no attempts to investigate lower rated power systems suitable for island/coastal communities. In China, previous projects aimed at island communities focused on renewable energy, but they did not integrate any aquaculture elements.Therefore, for island communities, novel fundamental questions arise, especially in terms of techno-economic feasibility and assessment and maximization of socio-environmental benefits at a completely different scale, but still requiring a whole-system, cross-disciplinary approach.The proposed solution is to investigate which are the specific challenges arising from the integration of these different offshore technologies, and with a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle them, making sure that all the dimensions (technological, economic, social, environmental, legal) are taken into account.The renewable energy technologies (Which wind turbine? Which wave device? What kind of solar panel?) and aquaculture systems most suitable for the needs of an island community will be identified, and the "cross-disciplinary" questions will be defined, e.g. "What is the impact of the noise generated by the renewable energy devices on the (closely co-located) aquaculture species growth rate?".Answering these questions, the novel contribution will consist in developing approaches to assess the feasibility of an MPP system, focusing on: global MPP dynamic response to metocean conditions, overall integrated control and power management strategies, environmental impact, socio-economic risks and benefits.The potential of these methodologies will be then show-cased through two case-studies, one focusing on an island community in China, and one in the UK. This consortium brings together internationally recognised experts from three Chinese and three British universities and institutes, for a total of 20 investigators, in the fields of solar and offshore wind and wave energy, control systems for renewable energy devices, environmental and socio-economic impact of renewables and aquaculture systems, aquaculture and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture development, and ecosystem modelling. These investigators are also leading members of the research community, directly involved in: Renewable Energy Key Lab of Chinese Academy of Sciences, IEC and Chinese National Standardization Committee for Marine Energy Devices, Supergen Wind Hub, EU Energy Research Alliance JP Wind, ITTC Ocean Engineering Committee, the Royal Institution of Naval Architects Maritime Innovation Committee, ICES WG-Marine Mammal Ecology, International Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, Ecopath Consortium Advisory Board
Publications (none)
Final Report (none)
Added to Database 07/01/19