The study of maritime energy production through history will inform the future

The evolution of maritime energy production and its impact on coastal communities is to be explored in new research by the University of Hull.

The research aims to inform approaches to the current transition to renewable energy and make sure they help coastal communities become more resilient.

It is part of the TRANSECTS project, which is being led by Heriot-Watt University; and involves the University of the Highlands and Islands, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of Strathclyde, as well as twelve stakeholder partners from industry and government.

They will share around £2.8m from the Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The programme is supporting a £14.8m investment in place-based research projects that aim to enhance resilience, wellbeing, and sustainability across the UK.  

University of Hull Professor of Cultural and Historical Geography, David Atkinson said, “We will be looking back to the 1750-1830 period, when Hull was a world-leading whaling port and whale blubber was a key source of oil. We will also look in detail at the late twentieth-century offshore oil and gas industries and the developing renewable energy sector. ”

The work will look at human narratives sourced from archives and will be combined with data to explore areas including the impacts of past energy transitions on migration, employment, and mental and physical health – as well as the fairness and balance of investment decisions. It will also look at the development of renewable energy, and it will enable communities to explore their roles and responses to energy transitions to enhance future community resilience.

University of Hull Professor of Engineering Jim Gilbert, who is also working on the project explained: “The energy transition which the UK and the world is currently undergoing is probably more far-reaching and certainly faster than any previous transition. We need to learn lessons from the past to ensure the maximum benefit to society of these huge changes. Given the importance of offshore renewable energy to the future UK energy mix, the inclusion of coastal communities in a just transition is particularly important”.

The full name of the project is - TRANSitions In Energy For Coastal Communities Over Time And Space (TRANSECTS), The University of Hull will receive more than £130,000 to fund its research.

The University of Hull recently announced it will lead a £2m national network to generate knowledge, action, and resilience for UK coastal communities and seas.

The COAST-R Network is also funded by Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas programme. It will generate and share learning across sectors and disciplines to build UK coastal and marine resilience in communities that are facing significant challenges including living with social and health inequalities, rising sea levels, and coastal erosion.

Both TRANSECTS and COAST-R are jointly funded by UKRI, through Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes, alongside the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), National Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).