Cafe Scientifique: Wave and Tidal Power: Combating Climate Change

Tuesday 8th October 2019 3:00PM – 4:30PM
Location/Venue: Kennaway House Coburg Road EX10 8NG

Wave and tidal power: combating climate change **Change of Speaker**

Dr Rachel Nicholls-Lee MEng CEng MRINA CMarEng MIMarEST MWES 

We are seeing the effects of Climate Change all around us – with unseasonal extreme storms, acute droughts and wildfires raging out of control.  Closer to home we have seen catastrophic flooding, intense heatwaves and the Isles of Scilly under a thick blanket of snow.  The state of the climate and the health of our planet’s living systems are intimately linked, and changes in one will radically affect the other.

There is no one solution to the problem.  The cause, however, has been universally identified as man – so how can we reduce the problem in years to come.  A clear focus is on the Energy Mix – altering the balance of this from the current primary sources of fossil fuels to more renewable and sustainable sources in future. 

Marine renewables, such as wave and tidal energy, have a key part to play in this change.  This lecture provides an overview of both the global and UK marine energy sectors, and technologies being developed to harvest energy from these sources.  The challenges to the industry are explored as is the future potential.  Lastly the focus is on you – how can you get involved and what can you do to help?

Rachel is the founder and director of Whiskerstay, a company offering naval architecture consultancy.  She is a Chartered Engineer with extensive experience in the marine renewable energy and yacht design sectors.  As a result, she is an author of over 40 publications in international forums covering aspects of composite technology, offshore renewables and novel vessel design and the recipient of the IMarEST Marine Ambassador Award in 2016. She has considerable experience in project management, design and development of marine vessels and structures; not least superyachts, racing and cruising yachts, tidal turbines, wave energy devices, subsea cable stability and platforms for operation in extreme environments. 

Venue: Cellar Bar, Kennaway House

Free.

This event is sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Devon and Somerset Area.