Research group

Ocean Energy

Offshore wind turbines producing renewable and green energy

We bring together experts addressing energy challenges from the perspectives of technology, the environment, society, finance, and policy. Our aim is to unlock the potential of ocean renewable energy.

About

The Ocean Energy Special Interest Group (SIG) serves as a hub at the University of Southampton for matters related to the role of seas and oceans in decarbonizing the economy. It also helps achieve net-zero goals worldwide.

Research areas

Our topics of interest are centred around technological, environmental, societal, financial, and policy challenges related to:

  • harvesting of renewable energies (eg offshore wind, wave, freestream tidal energy, tidal barrages and floating solar systems)
  • storage and transformation of offshore energy (eg energy islands, H2 creation)
  • sustainable decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructures

Oceans are pivotal in the world strategy to meet the net-zero objectives, by providing abundant and clean sources of renewable energy. However, the full exploitation of this energy resource faces many challenges of diverse nature. These include the harsh offshore environment, sharing the ocean with many stakeholders, and evolving policy and regulations. Most importantly, it is essential to avoid mistakes of the past and wild industrialisation of our seas and oceans.

Vision and aims

Our vision is to bring together people and skills from across the university and many fields of research to develop transdisciplinary approaches for sustainable ocean energy exploitation. We do this through:

  • fostering research collaboration between faculties and fields of research
  • fostering collaboration with non-academic stakeholders and serving as a contact point for ocean energy matters
  • raising awareness of ocean energy challenges and showcasing how the University of Southampton is working to address these challenges through research, knowledge exchange and other means

Activities

Our events and opportunities are designed in line with the goals we aim to achieve. They include a combination of internal and external activities, such as:

  • themed workshops or lectures bringing together academic and non-academic partners
  • sandpit activities to lay the foundations of interdisciplinary grant application or paper writing
  • invited lectures on case studies from industry
  • development of educational material or media briefings

To find out more about the Ocean Energy Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champions Dr Yao Zhang, Dr Luke Myers and Dr Benjamin Cerfontaine.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group, and any others of interest to you.

Research highlights

Making offshore carbon storage safe

A team of researchers in Southampton played a key role in a European project to determine the viability of safely and securely storing carbon offshore.

Optimising power transfer for renewable energy

Our researchers are running a series of projects to optimise the design of marine high voltage cables, used in offshore windfarms, to maximise power transfer and save money.

People, projects and publications

People

Professor Jeremy Webb

Professor of Microbiology

Research interests

  • Microbial biofilms and their control
  • Adaptive biology and evolution of microorganisms
  • Biofilm-associated infection

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Jeremy

Professor Jo Nield

Professor

Research interests

  • Dune Processes
  • Salt pan dynamics
  • Dust emissive surfaces

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Emeritus Professor Joachim Schloer

Research interests

  • German-Jewish history in modern times
  • German-Jewish emigration after 1933 as a transnational phenomenon
  • Urban history (Berlin, Tel Aviv, Odessa)
Connect with Joachim

Dr Joan Tumblety

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • French cultural history
  • History of natural health
  • Gender, masculinity and the body
Connect with Joan

Professor Joerg Fliege

Professor of Operational Research

Research interests

  • Nonlinear Optimization
  • Discrete Optimization
  • Operational Research

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Joerg Wiedenmann

Professor of Biological Oceanography

Research interests

  • Coral Reef Biology and Ecology
  • Coral Bleaching
  • Nutrient biology of coral reefs

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Joerg

Dr Johanna Hjalmarsson LLM, PhD

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Marine insurance
  • Insurance
  • Carriage of goods by sea

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor John Chaplin

Professorial Fellow-Research
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Mr John Gillett

Principal Teaching Fellow

Research interests

  • Countdowns: the role of duration and duration-awareness in the experience of time-based material.
  • Decision-making: programmatic production; judgement; intuition; thinking through making.
  • The relationship between studio practice and curatorship.
Connect with John

Professor John Holloway PhD, FHEA

Associate V-P Interdisciplinary Research

Research interests

  • Human genetics
  • Epigenetics
  • Respiratory Disease

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with John

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Connect with us

Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.