Dr Hugo Putuhena, IROE Early Career Researcher, takes research to Parliament at STEM for Britain 2024

Dr Hugo Putuhena, Research Fellow in Offshore Renewable Energy (Spatial Mapping), supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies Centre of Excellence for Intelligent and Resilient Ocean Engineering, the Supergen ORE Hub, and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute presented his research on “Assessing suitable space for future offshore wind to meet net-zero targets” at STEM for BRITAIN 2024.

STEM for BRITAIN is a poster competition in the House of Commons - involving 120 early career researchers in engineering, sciences, and mathematics - judged by professional and academic experts. This event enables early career researchers to engage and provide insight from their current research to Members of Parliament and other policy makers.

Hugo’s poster focussed on his current research in developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) based software that has been used to assess suitable space for future offshore wind for the UK. According to the tool, only approximately one-third of UK waters are deemed suitable for future offshore wind development, with nearly 90% situated in deep, necessitating the utilisation of new floating offshore wind technology. To meet the domestic electrification and hydrogen targets, around one fifth of this available space is required for offshore wind. Despite the considerable potential of the UK waters for future offshore wind projects, this tool also highlights several challenges that necessitate further research, development, and collaborations among stakeholders. These challenges include the cumulative impact on the marine ecosystem, difficult deep water and offshore environment, and increasing demands of the supply chain for foundations.

Download Hugo’s poster to learn more, and from there find a QR code to reach the interactive GIS dashboard.