Renewable energy is dependent on the weather, and the future of the industry relies on a greater understanding on the impact climate change will have on these variable resources. The variability of renewable resources is heavily dependent on large climate drivers and other synoptic features. With major developments in climate modelling we are significantly closing the gap that used to exist between what business needs to know and what climate science/engineering can provide. This project will merge climate science and engineering to address the key question industry asks – what is the future economic viability of renewable projects?
The ideal candidate will be imaginative with boundless curiosity and have a burning desire to make a major contribution as the world transitions to a more renewable energy economy. As the project is interdisciplinary, the ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in an area of atmospheric physics, climate and energy. They will be a practical person, who will lead the project to model and characterise the effects that a changing climate will have on our choices of renewable locations. They will be able to program in python and matlab and work with large amounts of data, as well as use high performance computing facilities. The ideal candidate will have the skills to communicate their results to both the research community and industry stakeholders. They will be able to grasp and model the principles for power conversion of renewable devices and implement these in future energy scenarios. The candidate will thrive in an international environment, working with colleagues in both industry and internationally. Finally, they will be excited to be a leader in the field of energy meteorology, merging energy and climate into useful information for industry.