Industry Case Studies


Industry Challenge Group Mini-Project (C9 May 2022, cohort 1 & 2)

The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult is the UK’s leading technology innovation and research centre for offshore renewable energy. One of its key research areas is floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and the ability to harness wind power further from shore and in deeper waters. ORE Catapult provided ReNU students with a brief to address technical uncertainties arising from deploying electrolysers on FOWTs. This involved investigating the incorporation of batteries into the system and understanding how this could reduce fatigue and wear of the electrolyser. Students carried out simulations based on data from the North Sea, identifying times when the FOWT would provide insufficient power to the electrolyser and what size battery could allow for continued operation of the electrolyser during this period.


Decerna is a specialist renewable energy consultancy that helps its clients achieve tangible carbon dioxide emissions savings. This includes both residential and commercial buildings in which air infiltration is a major source of heat loss. To gain further insight into this problem, Decerna provided ReNU students with a brief to evaluate a broad range of approaches to quantifying air infiltration in buildings. In just a short period, the ReNU students were able to identify key application criteria and create a qualitative model of air infiltration based on using a tracer gas. This facilitated an assessment of the likely feasibility of the approach and highlighted key technical and commercial factors for Decerna to further investigate through subsequent potential projects.