David Allen

Project Title: Analysis of the uptake of wind turbines in the Feed-in Tariff market and modelling of the wind resource

Background

I graduated with a BEng in Energy Engineering from Sheffield Hallam. The degree course was a mixture of mechanical and electrical engineering focusing on the fundamentals and engineering aspects of renewable technologies. As part of my undergraduate study, I undertook a dissertation examining the potential of siting wave power devices within the waters around wind farms.

Research Interests

My research interests are focused on renewable energy technologies and currently are examining aspects relating to small and medium scale wind turbines. My PhD project focuses on the technical and socio-technical aspects that affect the uptake of small and medium scale wind turbines in the UK.

As part of the PhD project, I will undertake an analysis of the uptake of small and medium scale wind turbines that receive payments as part of the Feed-in Tariff.

Initially, I will be examining the resource assessment tools and techniques that are available for consumers/installers of small and medium scale wind turbines, with the aim of providing an improved resource assessment tool in the form of a wind map of the whole UK, on a higher resolution and with greater accuracy than previously available.

In addition to the technical analysis of the resource assessment tools, I will also be analysing the uptake of the small and medium scale wind turbines through spatial analysis techniques. The spatial analysis of uptake aims to identify clusters of wind turbine installations with the aim to understand the underlying drivers behind the formation of these clusters.