Research Project on Guernsey’s Offshore Renewables Looking for Participants

A 3-year PhD research project running until September 2015 is looking for participants to explore local views on the future of energy on Guernsey and the role of macro offshore renewable energy.

The research, carried out by Bouke Wiersma of the University of Exeter, will focus on perceptions and views on offshore renewable energy such as tidal energy, as well as the wider energy policy context. This industry-leading and timely piece of research aims to assess public views on the future of energy in general with a specific focus on renewables on Guernsey by engaging with interested individuals and stakeholders, in order to come to a comprehensive assessment of islander views on the future of Guernsey energy supply.

As part of this PhD research, a series of studies will be carried out on Guernsey over the coming 18 months, starting in autumn 2013, including a number of in-depth workshops and a large-scale, representative questionnaire survey. To be able to ground any conclusions in a good cross-section of Guernsey society, two £100 vouchers will be given away among workshop participants.

This PhD project is jointly supported by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and Commerce and Employment’s Guernsey Renewable Energy Team, which is responsible for progressing local macro renewable energy and ensuring that all the necessary preparations are in place to enable the development of macro renewable at the right time in the future.

Jeremy Thompson, Chairman of RET, commented: “The value of this research is that it provides a completely independent review of islander opinion on the role of offshore renewables in Guernsey’s energy future, which can be invaluable in making appropriate, socially-informed decisions in the future.”

Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, who is supervising PhD student Bouke Wiersma in completing the research, says: “The University of Exeter is delighted to be leading this study supported by the ESRC and Guernsey. The results should provide evidence as to how various groups on Guernsey see the future for local energy and renewables which should assist to inform policy on the island.”

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Press release, June 21, 2013