GloFouling Webinars
Monitoring biofouling in the offshore renewable energy industry
Date:
Tuesday, 17 March 2020
Webinar closed, recording available here
3
Summary:
Global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is increasing the deployment of new technologies and structures to generate electricity from ocean resources such as tides and waves. This webinar presents the particular challenges related to biofouling in the marine renewables sector, particularly how biofouling can increases drag and accelerate corrosion, and the role of these new coastal structures as a stepping stone for non-indigenous species.
Presented by:
Andrew Want, Assistant Professor, Heriot-Watt University
Dr. Andrew Want is a marine ecologist with specialist expertise in biofouling and hard substrate epifaunal assemblages, including barnacles and macroalgae in high-energy habitats targeted by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) sector. His research background in biofouling includes developing and leading the international Biofouling in Renewable Energy Environments (BioFREE) project, as well the numerous other projects such as Forensic Decommissioning of Tidal Energy Converters (FoDTEC) study. In addition to these biofouling projects described above, he has: conducted numerous surveys of offshore energy infrastructure; worked with local fisheries in improving ecological functioning of marine infrastructure; researched genetic connectivity of isolated algal populations in the North Atlantic; and, surveyed Marine Protected Areas and priority marine features for governmental regulators. Through this research and collaborations, he has built strong connections throughout the biofouling and ORE sectors, and with marine subcontractors and regulatory bodies. Dr. Want has extensive teaching experience at postgraduate and undergraduate level, and regularly presents at international conferences. Recent peer-reviewed papers have been published in journals including: Biofouling; Ocean and Coastal Management; Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; and, International Journal of Marine Energy.