Sarah Ait Mouhoub: Exploring Algeria's Offshore Wind Potential for Sustainable Energy Development.

In this episode of the Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium at the University of Southampton, we are joined by third-year BSc Environmental Science student Sarah Ait Mouhoub for an exploration of her dissertation research titled: "Exploring Algeria's Offshore Wind Potential for Sustainable Energy Development." Sarah's dissertation explores the potential for deploying offshore wind farms off the coast of Algeria by assessing a set of technical, environmental and socio-economic criteria. The use of MCDM allows for the criteria to be evaluated while accounting for their relative importance and GIS provides the tools and a visual aid in site selection. Algeria, along with many lower to middle income countries, must begin reducing their reliance on fossil fuels to not only contribute to reducing greenhouse emissions, but to also secure their energy sector in order to provide a reliable and sustainable supply. The project is directly linked to SDG 7 but during the episode, it is also highlighted how it can support the progression towards meeting targets of other SDGs.  Further reading: Taoufik, M. and Fekri, A. (2021). GIS-based multi-criteria analysis of offshore wind farm development in Morocco. Energy Conversion and Management: X, 11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2021.100103. Uyan, M. (2013). GIS-based solar farms site selection using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in Karapinar region, Konya/Turkey. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 28, pp.11–17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.07.042. Díaz, H. and Guedes Soares, C. (2020). Review of the current status, technology and future trends of offshore wind farms. Ocean Engineering, [online] 209, p.107381. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.107381. The Meliora Podcast Student Research Symposium is part of the 2024 Student Takeover Season where we celebrate the fantastic sustainability research work of our Undergraduate Students. Guest: Sarah Ait Mahoub (Third-Year BSc Environmental Science Student) Host: Prof Simon Kemp Editor: Lily Killner