This project is a collaboration between SuperGen Marine, the Exeter Centre for Water Resources (Non-SuperGen), Penn State University, Aquascientific Ltd., The Danish Hydraulics Research Institute and is mentored by Garrad Hassan partners. The primary goal is the introduction of a new hybrid optimisation approach that allows the multi-objective optimal design of the layout and power loadings of marine energy farms subject to environmental impacts. It involves a new, academically highly challenging integrated analytic/numerical/experimental, approach to optimising the performance of large tidal stream energy capture farms. The specific application focus involves tidal turbines suited to operating in shallow medium flow estuaries but the technique can be applied to all types of marine energy farms. Optimisation is subject to minimising flood risk, with further environmental impacts, such as sediment transport driven outcomes, being capable of subsequent incorporation as slow timescale effects. The work complements the PERAWAT project and has key partners in common. At present the state of the art in large tidal stream farms is the performance estimation of pre-defined large farm designs, while optimisation, requiring many performance calculations, is deemed to be computationally unrealistic for practical design purposes. The present project will overcome this barrier by employing a combination of : (i) a new hybrid approach which describes the farm via a parameterised analytic model, that is matched to a numerical description of the estuary (ii) a new highly efficient optimisation technique. The model parameters, which define the optimum turbine locations and turbine loading factors over tidal cycles, are computed via the process of matching of the farm model and estuary descriptions. The new class of optimisation technique (pioneered at Exeter) based upon sampled surface functions, allows a large reduction in the number of optimisation parameters which require to be estimated. This method exploits the spatial dependencies between farm parameters and has applications far beyond the tidal stream farm problem. An important spin off from multi-objective optimisation is that it allows the unification of farm design and environmental impact which until now have been treated as rather separated issues. The analytic and computational work will draw on a body of on going work at Exeter including existing experimental data on model and field trial 10kW scale near surface turbines obtained by Exeter/Aquascientific Ltd. This will be enhanced by an experimental study at Edinburgh. This will investigate (i) arrays of many tens of turbines, (manufactured in injection moulded kit form) and (ii) highly detailed interactions between small groups of large models in the new All Waters test tank. Of particular importance will be information on the relationship between power absorption and turbine geometry and on turbine interactions. The outcomes of the work will be a combination: of new science and practical techniques that make the development of follow on tools for large scale tidal stream farm design optimisation realistic, plus the dissemination tools required to rapidly and effectively deliver these to the maine renewable energy community. This will impact on: investor/industrial provider confidence, and on the tidal stream research community, allowing the subsequent creation of a range of practical design tools for helping deliver 20:20 and 20:50 renewable energy targets. Garrad Hassan will mentor the project and undertake a due diligence study on the work for the purposes of dissemination to the wider stakeholder community. The project includes a set of processes and dedicated events aimed at enahancing the operation of the SuperGen Marine consortium and promoting effective pathways to impact and has been planned explicitly around future research vissions of SuperGen.

The management of water quality in rivers, urban drainage and water supply networks is essential for ecological and human well-being. Predicting the effects of management strategies requires knowledge of the hydrodynamic processes covering spatial scales of a few millimetres (turbulence) to several hundred kilometres (catchments), with a similarly large range of timescales from milliseconds to weeks. Predicting underlying water quality processes and their human and ecological impact is complicated as they are dependent on contaminant concentration. Current water quality modelling methods range from complex three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D CFD) models, for short time and small spatial scales, to one-dimensional (1D) time dependent models, critical for economic, fast, easy-to-use applications within highly complex situations in river catchments, water supply and urban drainage systems. Mixing effects in channels and pipes of uniform geometry can be represented with some confidence in highly turbulent, steady flows. However, in the majority of water networks, the standard 1D model predictions fall short because of knowledge gaps due to low turbulence, 3D shapes and unsteady flows. This Fellowship will work to address the knowledge gaps, delivering a step change in the predictive capability of 1D water quality network models. It will achieve this via the strategic leadership of a programme of laboratory and full-scale field measurements, the implementation of system identification techniques and active engagement with primary users. The proposal covers aspects from fundamental research, through applications, to end-user delivery, by providing a new modelling methodology to inform design, appraisal and management decisions made by environmental regulators, engineering consultants and water utilities.

OVERCOME consortium include world-leading organisations to develop state-of-the-art research plan that integrates digital innovations in natural hazard and risk predictions in order to develop intervention strategies for strengthening the resilience of vulnerable communities against climate hazards and health impacts. The partners from the UK, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe will contribute knowledge and skills in climate and meteorology, hydrology and water resources, flood forecasting, droughts, water quality, epidemiology and public health, smart technologies, data science, environmental science, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), risk communication, disaster management, social and policy sciences, and socio-economics. The collaboration will combine multidisciplinary knowledge to develop a novel holistic framework to forecast the impact of floods/droughts and associated disease outbreaks. OVERCOME also has strong support from global experts and local major stakeholders. The external partners will steer research direction throughout the project, contribute their complementary knowledge, and engage the team with additional partners through their strong international networking. OVERCOME will organise a kick-off meeting in one African partner's country to (1) brief our research ideas to the key stakeholders in African countries; (2) allow for all parties involved to learn from each other the capacity that each institution can contribute to the OVERCOME consortium; (3) understand the expectations that the stakeholders have on the project; (4) identify the knowledge gaps in research and the extra expertise required within the consortium. Following the kick-off meeting, the lead partners in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe will further reach out to additional partners in their countries to complement the skills within the consortium. Networking and Capacity Building Workshops (NCBWs) will be organised to incorporate local stakeholders for co-designing research methodology and outcomes to ensure that the project outputs will be adopted by stakeholders for real-world practices to deliver long-term impact to communities. Local Stakeholder Engagement Workshops will be held for local stakeholders to review and feedback on the final second stage proposal. The participants will evaluate the objectives and planned tasks from WGs for shaping research topics to benefit most stakeholders and vulnerable communities. The engagement can also examine and guarantee the feasibility of proposed solutions. We will also synergise with other consortia, projects, and professional groups to further strengthen the consortium, enhance the research vision, collect data for the full research, and widen the impact from the project.