The May issue of the Concrete Journal carries a lead article written by our Dr. Andrew Rella, Coastal and Environmental Engineer.
In the article – A Nature Inspired Approach to Offshore Concrete Solutions for UK Net Zero – Dr. Rella looks at whether UK government pledges to ‘Build Back Greener’ and pursue Net Zero ambitions have overlooked an important engineering opportunity: ecological concrete for offshore infrastructure.
UK Government and corporate spending has focused heavily on growing installed offshore wind capacity and more recently on floating wind projects. However, the concrete subsea structures anchoring Britain’s wind power revolution could be approached more innovatively.
“If UK offshore wind is to be truly sustainable and we are to meet our long-term net-zero goals, ecological materials and nature-inspired design need to come as standard”
‘High-performance ecological concrete technologies can be applied to any concrete marine infrastructure to increase strength and durability while simultaneously transforming them into bases for a thriving marine ecosystem and active carbon sink’ Dr. Rella explains.
‘These technologies are also scalable and cost effective. They are already enhancing marine life in breakwaters, ports and offshore infrastructure … and larger CAPEX offshore project developers are paying attention.
‘The UK is targeting offshore wind expansion towards a goal of 40GW in 2030 and 65-125GW by 2050 … innovative structures using concrete technologies that deliver nature inclusive design and lasting performance ought to become industry standard now.’
The full article is available here Concrete_Journal_May2022
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