Conservation Economics: Evaluating Trade-offs in Offshore Wind Farm Development

Project Description:

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield.  The successful applicant will undertake six-months of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at Hull. The project is supported by the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations and is part of a PhD Research Cluster focusing on Energy Economics.

Offshore wind energy offers a promising solution for sustainable and renewable power generation, with the key advantage of not competing for land resources like onshore wind farms. However, the unprecedented spatial squeeze resulting from its expansion presents complex economic, environmental, and social challenges. While it brings long-term benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting marine ecosystem health, it also risks conflicts with existing maritime activities, including fishing, conservation and shipping. A thorough understanding of the socioeconomic and cultural impacts of offshore wind is essential for developing effective mitigation strategies and adaptive management efforts.

Methodology

Wind turbines often face opposition from residents due to their space requirements, as well as potential noise and visual disruptions (Meyerhoff et al., 2010). In response to these concerns, offshore wind farms are typically located away from densely populated regions, often situated at sea. Economic valuation research has revealed varying perspectives on offshore wind energy development, with some studies highlighting its economic and environmental benefits while others emphasize potential drawbacks, particularly for local communities and traditional industries (Ladenburg, 2010).

As offshore wind energy expands, it is essential to consider its broader socio-economic dimensions to ensure balanced and sustainable outcomes. Key factors include the short- and long-term economic impacts on traditional industries such as commercial fishing, the economic value of ecosystem services gained or lost due to offshore wind energy expansion (Snyder and Kaiser, 2009), and the equitable distribution of economic benefits among marine stakeholders and opinion-holders (Willis-Norton et al., 2024). Understanding these dynamics is critical for informing policy decisions that mitigate negative externalities while maximizing the economic potential of offshore renewable energy.

This PhD project aims to conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of offshore wind energy’s impact on fisheries, coastal economies, and marine ecosystem services, offering valuable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders. By empirically assessing both the direct and indirect effects on key industries such as commercial fishing and tourism, this study seeks to enhance our understanding of the economic trade-offs associated with offshore wind development. To achieve this, the research will address the following key questions:

• What are the short- and long-term economic impacts of offshore wind farms on commercial fishing industries?
• What is the economic value of ecosystem services gained or lost due to offshore wind energy expansion?
• How can economic incentives and policy mechanisms be designed to ensure a fair distribution of economic gains and address the concerns of various maritime stakeholders?

To empirically assess these issues, we will utilise a combination of primary and secondary data sources to quantify the direct and indirect effects of offshore wind farms on the marine economy and employment. The precise methodology employed will be developed depending on the direction the student (in discussion with the supervisory team) wishes to take.

Entry requirements

If you have received or expect to achieve before starting your PhD programme a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Master’s level a degree (or the international equivalents) in economics, marine science, environmental science or related fields, we would like to hear from you. Strong analytical, quantitative and interdisciplinary skills are essential.

Training and skills

The student will be given training in behavioural economics and quantitative analysis and will develop a wide range of numerical modelling and analytical skills that will provide excellent career opportunities in both academia and industry.

You will also benefit from a taught programme, giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs. This begins with an intensive six-month programme for the new student intake, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship.

If you have any queries about the project, please contact Dr Magnus Johnson via M.Johnson@hull.ac.uk.  You may also address queries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.

Watch our short video to hear from Aura CDT students, academics and industry partners:

Funding

The CDT is funded by the EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These have been set by UKRI as £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years (subject to progress).

Eligibility

Our funded Doctoral Scholarships are available to UK Students. The advertised CDT scholarships in this current recruitment round are available to Home (UK) Students only as the CDT has reached the annual cap, set by the funding council (UKRI EPSRC), on international student recruitment for the 2025 intake. To be considered a Home student, and therefore eligible for a full award, a student must have no restrictions on how long they can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship (with some further constraint regarding residence for education).

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The CDT is committed to generating a diverse and inclusive training programme and is looking to attract applicants from all backgrounds. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of these under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt in process.

Find out more

How to apply

Please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the Aura CDT website before you apply to give you a good understanding of what a CDT is, our CDT’s research focus and the training and continuing professional development programme that runs alongside the CDT. The Frequently asked questions page and Candidate resources page are essential reading prior to applying.  

 Applications are open until Friday 9 May 2025 

Applications to this project are made via the University of Hull admissions system. If you have not applied to the University of Hull before, you will need to set up an account to enable you to track the progress of your application and upload supporting documents.  

Follow the appropriate link to apply for this CDT project at the University of Hull: 

Full Time: https://evision.hull.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RPMARSXFD01005&code2=0001

Part time: https://evision.hull.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RPMARSXPD01001&code2=0001

With your application, you need to upload copies of the following supporting evidence:  

• Complete transcripts (and final degree certificate(s) where possible). If your qualification documents are not in English, you will need to supply copies of your original language documents as well as their official translation into English.  
• Your Curriculum Vitae (CV).   
• A completed Supplementary Application Form (upload when asked to add a Research proposal).  

Please download the Supplementary Application Form here. 

Ensure you complete all sections of the Supplementary Application Form in font and size Calibri 11pt, specify the research project you are applying for.  

Uploading the form 

When you have completed the form, please save it as a pdf format and labelled as follows: 

Last name_first name PhD application form 

Upload the form as part of your application documents through the University of Hull student application portal, when asked to add a Research Proposal. The Form replaces the Research Proposal and so you do not need to add a Research Proposal. Please do not send your form directly to the Offshore Wind CDT.   

Interviews will be held online with an interview panel comprising of project supervisory team members from the host university where the project is based.  Where the project involves external supervisors from university partners or industry sponsors then representatives from these partners may form part of the interview panel and your supplementary application form will be shared with them (with the guaranteed interview scheme section removed). Interviews will take place during early and mid-June. 

If you have any queries about the project, please contact Dr Magnus Johnson via M.Johnson@hull.ac.uk.  You may also address queries about the CDT to auracdt@hull.ac.uk.

References & Further Reading

Hanley, N., Barbier, E.B. and Barbier, E., 2009. Pricing nature: cost-benefit analysis and environmental policy. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Kirkbride-Smith AE, Wheeler PM, Johnson ML (2016) Artificial reefs and marine protected areas: a study in willingness to pay to access Folkestone Marine Reserve, Barbados, West Indies. PeerJ 4:e2175. doi: 10.7717/peerj.2175

Ladenburg, J., 2010. Attitudes towards offshore wind farms—The role of beach visits on attitude and demographic and attitude relations. Energy Policy, 38(3), pp.1297-1304.

Meyerhoff, J., Ohl, C. and Hartje, V., 2010. Landscape externalities from onshore wind power. Energy Policy, 38(1), pp.82-92.

Snyder, B. and Kaiser, M.J., 2009. Ecological and economic cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind energy. Renewable Energy, 34(6), pp.1567-1578.

Willis-Norton, E., Mangin, T., Schroeder, D.M., Cabral, R.B. and Gaines, S.D., 2024. A synthesis of socioeconomic and sociocultural indicators for assessing the impacts of offshore renewable energy on fishery participants and fishing communities. Marine Policy, 161, p.106013.