Background
Mac grew up in Suffolk, often holidaying in Scotland which attracted him
to the University of Edinburgh where his first degree was a joint
Masters in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. He developed an
interest in design and innovation and was president of a student society
that was part of an international student competition to build a
levitating magnet train. IDCORE felt like the perfect place for him to
take these interests further, working at the forefront of engineering in
the renewables sector.
Mac’s Project
Mac is working at the ‘sharp end’ of device development in the
offshore renewable energy sector. He is sponsored by Mocean, where he is
exploring a ‘hybridisation’ concept for their wave energy converter
(WEC). This involves the installation of photo-voltaic (PV) panels on
the WEC to reduce the need for diesel back-up in off-grid and micro-grid
locations, the likely early market for Mocean’s products. Mac has been responsible for the design and installation of a
six-panel PV array on the Mocean Blue X WEC that has completed an
initial round of sea trials off Orkney. The WEC recently experienced a
freak storm, which it withstood extremely well. Unfortunately, this
storm removed one of the PV panels and destroyed Mac’s data acquisition
equipment. He is now re-designing the system for further testing during
the next deployment.
IDCORE
This
multi-disciplinary Centre brings together diverse areas of expertise to
train engineers and scientists with the skills, knowledge and
confidence to tackle current and future offshore renewable energy
challenges. The strategic direction of the programme is guided by an
Industrial Steering Board comprising representatives from professional
bodies, employers and regulators. EngD students on the programme (called
Research Engineers) undertake advanced training in technical skills and
competencies as well as transferable skills such as project management,
innovation management, and team working. Alongside this they undertake a
challenging and original research project at PhD level.
