Joint UK-China offshore renewables energy (ORE) systems workshop

The RCUK Energy Programme is inviting Expressions of Interest to attend a two day workshop on 10-11 November 2016, in London, to engage in discussion, to identify research challenges and to initiate new collaborative working partnerships between UK and Chinese academics working in the area of offshore renewable energy.

Specifically, the workshop will focus on the challenges related to design and deployment of offshore wind power (both floating and static), wave energy converters and hybrid systems of the two technologies. Attendees should also consider how environmental science can be used to optimise deployment, informing on resource assessment, planning and site characterisation of ORE systems, including consideration of the potential environmental impacts or benefits.

The scope of the workshop will include:

1. Novel device design and development of existing technology
2. Site planning, characterisation and optimising ORE system deployment
3. Monitoring and modelling
4. Operation and maintenance once deployed

The outcomes of this workshop will feed directly into a potential subsequent joint National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and NERC call for proposals.

In participating in this event, you will be able to:

• Initiate new working relationships between researchers from across the ORE field
• Discuss the current capabilities in ORE research in the UK and pinpoint where skills will be needed in the future
• Identify the research challenges which would benefit from meaningful collaboration across engineering and environmental science disciplines
• Discuss the main, innovative research challenges in the area of ORE and determine how the research community can contribute to these

EPSRC/NERC will aim to inform applicants of the outcome of selection by week commencing 31 October 2016.

Attendees of the workshop are expected to act as representatives of their scientific discipline, and to act in the interests of the scientific community as a whole, rather than representing personal or organisational interests. The composition of the group will be decided by the RCUK Energy Programme with input from our scientific advice streams. The RCUK Energy Programme will reserve the right to appoint members to the workshop group who have not applied to achieve the balance of representation required.

If you would like to apply to attend the workshop event, please complete the online expression of interest form - external link.

The deadline for expression of interest is 16:00 on Wednesday 26 October 2016.

Julie Goulding 01793 411540 jululd@nerc.ac.uk