IES Research Projects

Research Projects at the Institute for Energy Systems (IES). You can search keywords within Project Titles.

We also have many Energy Systems PhD opportunities for postgraduate students looking to join the School.

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Project Title Principal Supervisorsort ascending Project Summary
MARINET: Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network for Emerging Energy Technologies

Professor Ian Bryden

MARINET, the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, is a network of research centres and organisations that are working together to accelerate the development of marine renewable energy technologies - wave, tidal and offshore-wind. It is co-financed by the European Commission specifically to enhance integration and utilisation of European marine renewable energy research infrastructures and expertise. MARINET offers periods of free-of-charge access to world-class R&D facilities & expertise and conducts joint activities in parallel to standardise testing improve testing capabilities and enhance training & networking.

 

ETP Knowledge Exchange in Energy: Marine Energy

Professor Ian Bryden

Funding (ca. £3m) has been secured from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise and ETP Member Universities to establish a Knowledge Exchange (KE) Network. This will catalyse and accelerate KE activity between academia and SMEs, thereby increasing innovation, advancing the development of the low carbon economy in Scotland and supporting Scotland, UK and the EU to meet ambitious 2020 low carbon targets.

CableDyn

Prof Venki Venugopal

This fundamental scientific research aims to investigate the dynamic loading, motion response, impact of vortex induced vibration and its suppression mechanism, and fatigue failure of subsea power cables subjected to combined 3-dimensional waves, currents, and turbulence.

EcoWatt2050

Prof Vengatesan Venugopal

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting substantial sustainable growth in its marine renewable industries. Agreements for sea bed leases are already in place for 2GW of wave and tidal developments, and projects are progressing through the licensing process. Strategic marine planning for future phases of wave, tidal and offshore wind development is now in progress. For marine renewables to significantly contribute to the low-carbon energy mix towards 2050, significant offshore development in the form of very large scale arrays will be needed.

Optimal Design of Very Large Tidal Stream Farms: for Shallow Estuarine Applications

Dr Tom Bruce

This project is a collaboration between SuperGen Marine, the Exeter Centre for Water Resources (Non-SuperGen), Penn State University, Aquascientific Ltd., The Danish Hydraulics Research Institute and is mentored by Garrad Hassan partners. The primary goal is the introduction of a new hybrid optimisation approach that allows the multi-objective optimal design of the layout and power loadings of marine energy farms subject to environmental impacts. It involves a new, academically highly challenging integrated analytic/numerical/experimental, approach to optimising the performance of large tidal stream energy capture farms. The specific application focus involves tidal turbines suited to operating in shallow medium flow estuaries but the technique can be applied to all types of marine energy farms. Optimisation is subject to minimising flood risk, with further environmental impacts, such as sediment transport driven outcomes, being capable of subsequent incorporation as slow timescale effects. The work complements the PERAWAT project and has key partners in common.

X-MED: Extreme Loading of Marine Energy Devices due to Waves, Current, Flotsam and Mammal Impact

Dr Tom Bruce

Marine energy should make a substantial contribution to the UK renewable energy target of 30% electricity by 2020. Tidal stream turbines are a more mature technology than wave energy devices while the potential of wave energy is considerable. There is a growing capability and confidence in the loading and performance of marine energy devices in operating conditions as designs rapidly develop. However knowledge of extreme loading is less mature and indeed there is some uncertainty about their origin.

SuperGen UK Centre for Marine Energy Reseach

Prof Robin Wallace

UKCMER is the third phase of EPSRC investment in collaborative wave and tidal energy research.  Edinburgh has led all three phases since 2003. There are 13 partner universities in the Centre working together on 15 projects.  They work together to ensure joined-up regional, disciplinary and thematic effort to help meet the challenges in accelerating deployment towards and through 2020 targets

Direct Drive Generator for a Tidal Turbine

Professor Markus Mueller

Nova Innovation and IES are collaborating to design, build and test a direct drive generator for Nova’s tidal current turbine.

TEDDINET: Network of (Build) TEDDI projects

Professor Gareth Harrison

Established in September 2013 and funded for four years, TEDDINET is a research network examining the interactions of people with digital technologies and the potential for smart metering to transform energy demand in the home and at work. TEDDINET’s primary purpose is to create added value and enhance the impact of 22 individual research projects funded under the ‘Transforming Energy Demand through Digital Innovation’ (TEDDI) and ‘Transforming Energy Demand in Buildings through Digital Innovation’ (BuildTEDDI) programmes. Sponsored by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), these 22 projects encompass 26 (UK) universities, 75 partners from industry and the housing sector, and over 200 researchers from engineering, informatics, design and social sciences.

Land of the MUSCos

Professor Gareth Harrison

Present infrastructure service delivery, characterized by isolated supply streams for an uncontrolled demand, is uneconomical, inefficient, and ultimately unsustainable. What kinds of alternatives can be identified and implemented? In this project, we research and promote the establishment of Multi-Utility Service Companies, or MUSCos.

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