Edward Nelson

Sustainable renewable energy – the emergence and continuing development of hydropower in Scotland

TopicSustainable renewable energy – the emergence and continuing development of hydropower in Scotland

Supervisors: Professor Dave Gilvear and Professor Richard Oram

This interdisciplinary PhD seeks to investigate the emergence, and continuing development of hydropower in Scotland to assess its sustainability now and into the future. A central consideration will be to present how the changing energy, regulatory and environmental context for the hydropower sector continues to shape its characteristics at a national and scheme level, in turn influencing efforts to reconcile renewable generation and water ecology objectives (the photograph of me was taken on the Ben Cruachan dam).

In doing so, this research seeks to foster communication and explore linkages between disciplines and scales in the energy-policy-environment nexus – to inform the debate regarding sustainable renewable energy, competing policy goals, and challenges for water resource regulation.

It is envisaged outcomes from the project will inform debates surrounding the sustainability of renewable energy, whilst providing useful and timely recommendations for UK policy and regulatory circles as they look to manage competing water resource demands and seek to identify efficiency savings and ‘win-win’ outcomes.

Education: BA (Hons) Environmental Management (University of Leeds) and MSc Environmental Sustainability (University of Edinburgh)

E-mail: edward.nelson@stir.ac.uk

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