OVERVIEW

Having previously led the GIS work package for the Selkie wave and tidal energy project, Ross now leads the Wet-Storage project at MaREI. Funded by ESB and Shannon Foynes Port Authority, this two-year project aims to examine the use of wet-storage in support of floating offshore wind projects off Ireland’s coast. The focus of the research is to examine the requirements and identify potential sites for wet-storage, which is the temporary inshore storage of floating offshore wind turbines in suitable areas prior to installation. This is a key requirement for facilitating floating offshore wind, which will be a fundamental technology for Ireland to reach its offshore renewable energy targets.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Ross is currently at Phase 1 of the project, understanding the key conditions and constraints associated with the development and identification of suitable wet storage sites. This will be followed by gathering and developing the relevant geospatial data which will feed a bespoke model developed specifically to identify potential wet-storage areas around the Irish coast. Phase 2 of the project will focus on stakeholder engagement and the technical challenges of designing sites in terms of the optimum layout and mooring configurations.

BACKGROUND

Ross is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at MaREI’s Beaufort Building in Cork, having recently completed a PhD in Engineering at University College Cork. He has an MSc in Geoinformatics from the University of Copenhagen, a Higher Diploma in Geography from University College Cork and a BSc in Project Management from Munster Technological University. He has also taken credited courses in coastal and marine management at the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, Iceland as part of a Nordic exchange scholarship. Prior to working at MaREI, he worked as a tour guide at Mizen Head, spent two years in the energy sector, a year at sea and five years as a volunteer in the Irish Coast Guard. For four years he also served as a representative for the Bantry area on Cork County Council, having worked on the Coastal Management Committee, the West Cork Islands Interagency Committee and the Environment, Climate Action & Biodiversity Strategic Policy Committee.