Current Research Projects
(Arranged by end of project date)
End-of-Life Decisions for Wind Farms: An Opportunity for Climate Action and for Energy Communities
Wind Value is a 4-year project which started on 1st March 2022 and is based in the Environmental Research Institute of University College Cork. It is funded by the Irish Research Council under the Pathway Programme. The project will put a value on existing wind farms as they approach their end-of-life, helping owners to decide between re-powering, life extension and decommissioning. This will also help local communities decide whether they should buy part or all of the wind farm. I am the principal investigator of the project. Role: Principal Investigator.
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SFI Future Innovator Prize – Workshop
Assessing the priorities, scale and implications for SGD 2 using renewable energy in (off-grid) rural Tanzania
The aim of the SFI Workshop is to develop ideas and build research connections to address SDG 2 by increasing agricultural yields. The project is funded by Irish Aid, funding code: 24/FIP/WG/3632. Researchers in UCC and Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania will meet to develop ideas and a proposal for the larger SFI Innovator Prize. Role: Principal Investigator.
This workshop was conducted with the financial support of Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) under the SFI Future Innovator Prize – Workshop Grant 24/FIP/WG/3632.
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Wind Turbine Blade Life Cycle and Value Chain
IEA Wind Task 45 Work Package Task Participant funded by SEAI with colleagues across Europe, and the USA, in both industry and research institutions. Role: Steering Committee Member and Researcher.
Completed Research Projects
The Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact of a New Wind Turbine Design
The X-Rotor Wind Turbine Project is funded by Horizon 2020 and is based in the Cleaner Production Promotion Unit of University College Cork Ireland . The X-Rotor Project is led by colleagues in the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. The consortium includes the Technical University Delft Netherlands, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, General Electric Renewables Spain and Fundacion Cener Spain. I am a senior post doctoral researcher on the project under Niall P Dunphy.
Re-Wind
Circular Economy Business Models Supporting Wind Turbine Blade Repurposing / Recycling / Recovery
The Re-Wind Network research group (see video and another video) is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, InvestNI/Department for the Economy, and The US National Science Foundation. The project is based in Georgia Tech USA, University College Cork Ireland , Munster Technological University and Queen’s University Belfast Northern Ireland. This research has produced a paper, End-of-Life Alternatives for Wind Turbine Blades: Sustainability Indices Based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling, a high impact journal. I was a postdoctoral researcher on the project led by Paul G Leahy, Niall Dunphy and Gerard Mullally.
Carbon Upcycle
The Value of Recycling Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Upcycle was funded by the Irish Research Council and was carried out in Dublin City University Business School and School of Chemical Sciences. The project looked at methods to use carbon dioxide to make feedstock compounds to store energy. The project has already produced a paper A real options based decision support tool for R&D investment: Application to CO2 recycling technology in the European Journal of Operational Research (ABS 4). I worked as a post doctoral researcher under the direction of Mary Pryce and Mark Cummins.
Carbon Lock-in
Carbon Lock-in and Financial Risk
Carbon Lock-in was funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency and based in the Environmental Research Institute, of UCC. It looked at the risks to the Irish Economy from decarbonisation. This included stranded asset risk and the reduction to government income from decarbonisation. My work in this project contributed to Quantifying stranding risk for fossil fuel assets and implications for renewable energy investment: A review of the literature which was published in the high impact journal, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. I worked for a year as a research support officer under the direction of Celine McInerney and Brian Ó’Gallachoir
Data Breaches and Stock Prices
Data Breaches looked at the effect of data breach announcements on firm value and was part of the work of the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce IC4, (now The Irish Institute of Digital Business based in DCU Business School) funded by the Irish Industrial Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland. My work in this project contributed to two publications, Social media and stock price reaction to data breach announcements: Evidence from US listed companies and The effect of data breach announcements beyond the stock price: Empirical evidence on market activity published in Research in International Business and Finance (ABS 2), and International Review of Financial Analysis (ABS 3). I worked as a research assistant on the project.
Sentiment in Carbon and Oil Markets – PhD Thesis
The Effect of Sentiment in Professionally Traded Markets: Evidence from Oil and Emissions Futures, my PhD topic funded by a Daniel O’Hare Scholarship in DCU Business School. This examined how sentiment indices based market data and Tweets was associated with the behaviour of Brent and WTI oil, and EU emission allowance futures prices. This produced two papers Influences from the European Parliament on the EU Emissions Prices and Sentiment in the Oil Markets, published in Energy Policy (ABS 2) and International Review of Financial Analysis (ABS 3).
PhD Supported by Daniel O’Hare Scholarship from Dublin City University