The expert project team, in consultation with our stakeholders, identified four fundamental research questions that need to be answered to inform the offshore energy transition.
- What are the requirements for subsurface geological hydrogen and carbon dioxide storage to enable the energy transition?
- How do we ensure the environmental sustainability of carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage and offshore energy infrastructure?
- What are the social and economic trade-offs and consequences of the offshore energy transition?
- How do we translate research into stakeholder-relevant outcomes through coordination and co-design to support decision making?
These research questions will be addressed by the following work streams.
Subsurface geological storage for carbon dioxide and hydrogen (work package 1)
The energy transition requires temporary storage of hydrogen, to accommodate predictable seasonal demands for heating, and permanent storage of the much-increased volumes of carbon dioxide resulting from methane reformation and industrial processes. The innovative research that is essential to identify and appraise the additional offshore gas storage capacity and the potential interactions between carbon dioxide and hydrogen storage operations and subsurface pressure changes has yet to be undertaken.
Environmental sustainability of geological storage (work package 2)
The transition also requires the increased development on the seabed and of its subsurface, as well as in the water column, for example, floating windfarms. It is vital to ensure that this development does not exacerbate local and regional environmental stress, and that the ecological effects are sufficiently understood to identify opportunities for net gain. Whilst carbon dioxide sensitivities are well understood, the same cannot be said for hydrogen, nor for the cumulative effects on the seabed of multiple windfarms and other energy-related infrastructure. This presents an urgent need to address the evidence gap.
Social and economic trade-offs and consequences (work package 3)
Scientific research has developed our understanding of the natural capital and ecosystem services effects of offshore wind-energy production and perceptions of this technology. However, fundamental novel research is now required to address the evidence gap to understand how multiple uses of the seabed and its subsurface affects ecosystem services, natural capital, social licence and public perceptions. In particular, whether these perceptions are influenced by a person's 'ocean connectedness' — an emotional and cognitive bond to the marine environment.
Translating research into outcomes (work package 4)
The co-dependencies between the physical, environmental and social sciences are complex due to the interaction of the ocean system with the interests of local communities and key stakeholders. The challenges lie in bringing together the different types of geospatial information, models, ecosystem services, natural capital information and public attitudes. This needs to be done as part of an integrated, socio-spatial, decision-support framework that enables future planning regulation and policy decisions.