A developing and expanding interdisciplinary research team from the University of Wollongong and beyond, interested in the emergence of new offshore sustainable industries, such as offshore wind.
Blue Energy Futures Lab
Collaborative research for a sustainable blue future
Our research expertise includes areas such as law, social sciences, policy, economics, engineering, business, and marine sciences.
We recognise that Australia is undertaking an immense task in transitioning to a low carbon economy and that offshore industries (such as wind) will play a critical role in decarbonisation and in the development of future blue economies. We recognise that this is essential in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
To conduct and produce research that is meaningful and translational through real world application and impact, that reflects the wants and needs of community, that aligns with the world of industry, and that positively influences policy development towards a sustainable future.
We aim to build and develop the capacity to co-design sustainable blue energy futures. We strive for equitable processes and outcomes in the future governance of our oceans.
The Blue Energy Futures Lab is an internal collaboration space supported by the University of Wollongong’s Global Challenges program.
About the lab
Download the submission here [PDF 506KB]
Summary of our feedback and recommendations:
"As detailed further in the attached report, as a collective group of academics from diverse disciplinary backgrounds we support an accelerated movement towards a renewable energy future. We strongly endorse a rapid movement towards decarbonisation of our current energy base in order to contribute to global efforts to mitigate and address climate change. We believe all parts of Australia will need to play their part in this transition and as a region the Illawarra is both well suited, and strongly positioned to play a lead role in this. We therefore are working from the basis of in principle support for the development of offshore wind in the Illawarra, but with a firm commitment towards ensuring that these developments are done to the highest environmental, social and cultural standards.
As a University, we stand ready to play our part in ensuring that offshore wind, if it is to be developed in our region, can be underpinned by independent and rigorous research. We also believe UOW can play a critical role in training the skilled professionals that will be required to develop, assess and monitor the industry.
As detailed in the attached report, we put forward the following priority recommendations for consideration."
The researchers put forward several priority recommendations for consideration, including:
- The development of a workforce with the necessary knowledge and skills to drive innovation, research, and implementation.
- Greater oversight and planning in relation to key aspects of the assessment and approvals process
- Broader regional and national scale assessments conducted independently by trusted research institutions, to inform (but not replace) site-specific assessments by developers.
- First Nations engagement and partnership should be prioritised to avoid ‘terra nullius’ style assumptions and a coordinated approach to avoid unnecessary consultation burdens on First Nations organisations.
- Government education, intervention, guidance and regulation to ensure the planning process maximises community benefits.
The Blue Energy Futures Lab has no external funding. It is an internal collaboration space supported by the University of Wollongong’s Global Challenges program
Camille Goodman and Michelle Voyer, Submission to the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Legislation Amendment Bill 2022, 1 November 2022
Figure 1: Image by Dr. Camille Goodman showing the regulatory framework for offshore wind in Australia
The image is a graphical representation of the elements involved in offshore wind, with a focus on the regulatory framework for offshore wind in Australia. The graphic shows offshore turbines and substations connected to on-shore transmission infrastructure by a submarine cable. The image also depicts the regulatory framework for offshore wind in Australia and how it applies in the maritime zones established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Australian domestic framework established by the Offshore Constitutional Settlement. The image is designed to help explain the complex system of offshore wind and its associated regulatory framework in a visual manner.
Read further about the regulatory framework for offshore wind in Australia.
Our research capabilities reflect the interdisciplinary nature of our research collaborations. Our lab will draw together researchers from a growing cross-section of the university, including:
- the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS),
- the Australian Centre for Environment, Society and Space (ACCESS),
- the Energy Futures Network (PDF: 2.4 MB),
- Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) and
- Faculty of Business and Law (BAL)
Our work is grounded in respectful acknowledgment of the critical role that First Nation communities must play in sustainable transitions. We endeavour to continually recognise and respect that our research is being done on Aboriginal Country (both land and sea) and to ensure that this is always reflected in the decisions that are made and how we conduct the research. We are committed to working in partnership with local First Nation communities and Indigenous leaders and researchers to foreground Indigenous Knowledges in our research practices.
ACCESS has research strengths in human environment relations, social and cultural relationships with oceans and coastal regions, emotions and place, environmental governance, regional economic transformation, as well as deep and rich connections to regional communities in the Illawarra and capacity to respond to regional need. ANCORS has research strengths in ocean governance, human relationships and connections to oceans and coasts, how values and connections to the sea may influence social perceptions and acceptability of offshore developments (Social Licence to Operate), maritime law and the role of legal and regulatory processes in enabling sustainable transitions. BAL have strengths in accounting, law, regulatory frameworks, and economics, and the SBRC has research strengths in exploring solutions that address the challenge of transforming our buildings and built environment into sustainable, resilient and effective places in which people live and work.
ACCESS, the Business School and ANCORS have a track record in high impact research looking at the social dimensions of energy transitions, local jobs and supply chains, economic and social impact assessment and ocean accounting. The Blue Energy Futures Lab is affiliated with UOW Energy Futures Network. This network supports research into renewable energy systems and integration, power systems, sustainability (including building design), power quality and reliability, battery energy storage and management systems, distributed energy generation, micro-grids, infrastructure modelling and economics and R&D leading to a more hydrogen-intensive economy.
Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS)
- Associate Professor Michelle Voyer
Scholars profile
Email: michelle_voyer@uow.edu.au - Dr Freya Croft
Scholars profile
Email: freya_croft@uow.edu.au - Dr Camille Goodman
Scholars profile
Email: camille_goodman@uow.edu.au - Dr Dawoon Jung
Scholars profile
Email: dawoon_jung@uow.edu.au - Dr Rachel Nichols
Scholars profile
Email: rachel_nichols@uow.edu.au
Business School, Faculty of Business and Law (BAL)
- Professor Corrine Cortese
Scholars profile
Email: corinne_cortese@uow.edu.au
School of Geography and Sustainable Communities / Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space (ACCESS)
- Dr Chantel Carr
Scholars profile
Email: chantel_carr@uow.edu.au - Associate Professor Leah Gibbs
Scholars profile
Email: leah_gibbs@uow.edu.au - Associate Professor Natascha Klocker
Scholars profile
Email: natascha_klocker@uow.edu.au - Dr Christopher Brennan-Horley
Scholars profile
Email: chris_brennan-horley@uow.edu.au - Natasha Larkin
PhD Candidate
Email: natasha_larkin@uow.edu.au
School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering
- Dr Aziz Ahmed
Scholars profile
Email: aziz_ahmed@uow.edu.au - Dr Pabasara Wanniarachichige
Scholars profile
Email: pabasara_wanniarachchige@uow.edu.au
Energy Futures Network
- Ty Christopher
Scholars profile
Email: ty_christopher@uow.edu.au
Development needs independent and rigorous research
We (Blue Energy Futures) support the development of offshore wind in the Illawarra, provided the developments are done to the highest environmental, social and cultural standards. Everyone in the community can benefit from this, and we need to do it right.
Full story
Research and news
Research and proposal
- Proposed offshore wind area: Pacific Ocean off Illawarra region, NSW -
- Research grant press release - Global Challenges returns to tackle the big issues
Local articles
A snapshot of some of the recent and relevant publications by members of affiliated research Schools
Ocean Governance and Offshore Regulations
- Natasha Larkin,Chantel Carr & Natascha Klocker, Building an offshore wind sector in Australia: economic opportunities and constraints at the regional scale (2023) Australian Geographer, DOI: 10.1080/00049182.2023.2276144.
- Camille Goodman, ‘Harnessing the Wind Down Under: Applying the UNCLOS Framework to the Regulation of Offshore Wind by Australia and New Zealand' (2023) Ocean Development & International Law, DOI: 10.1080/00908320.2023.2247327.
- Camille Goodman, ‘Winds of Change: Australia’s Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Act 2021’ (2022) 7(1) Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy 137-150.
- Camille Goodman, ‘Unlocking the framework for offshore wind in Australia’, CIPL Conversations (ANU College of Law Centre for International and Public Law, Australian National University), 1 November 2022.
- Michelle Voyer, Dominique Benzaken and Constance Rambourg (2022) Institutionalizing the Blue Economy: an examination of variations and consistencies among Commonwealth countries. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol 377, No 1854.
- Michelle Voyer and Judith van Leeuwen (2019). '‘Social license to operate’ in the Blue Economy.' Resources Policy, vol. 62: 102-113.
- Michelle Voyer, Genevieve Quirk, Anna Farmery, Lana Kajlich, & Robyn Warner, (2020), 'Launching a Blue Economy: crucial first steps in designing a contextually sensitive and coherent approach', Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, pp. 1--18, doi:10.1080/1523908x.2020.1856054.
Emotion/ Values and Environmental Change
- Chantel Carr. (2023) ‘Repairing social connections; Dismantling carbon infrastructures with care’. Dialogues in Human Geography, DOI 10.1177/20438206231155707, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
- Chantel Carr. (2022) 'Repair and Care: Locating the work of the climate crisis’ Dialogues in Human Geography. DOI 10.1177/20438206221088381, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
Regional Transformation of Work and Economy
- Chris Gibson, Chantel Carr (2021), Craig Lyons, Lucy Taska Andrew Warren, ‘Covid-19 and the shifting industrial landscape’ Geographical Research’ DOI. 10.1111/1745-5871.12462. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
- Thomas Birtchnell and TIllmann Bohme (2020), ‘Supply Chains and the mobilities of Cargo’ Handbook of Research Methods and Applications for Mobilities, DOI 10.4337/9781788115469.00034, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, 10.4337/9781788115469.00034.
Energy Transition and Energy Governance
- Amelia Hine, Chris Gibson, Chantel Carr (2022) Green hydrogen regions: emergent spatial imaginaries and material politics of energy transition, SocArXIv, DOI. 10.31235/osf.io/7np9v. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
- Robyn Dowling, Chantel Carr, Pauline McGurik (2022). ‘Orchestrating energy transitions: from ‘eco-bling’ to turning the building’ Social and Cultural Geography, DOI 10.1080/14649365.2022.2134581, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
Ocean Governance and Offshore Regulations
- Lucky Wuwang, et al. (2022). "Global blue economy governance – A methodological approach to investigating blue economy implementation." Frontiers in Marine Science, vol.9.
Oceans/ Coasts, Culture, Emotion, and Place
- Leah Gibbs, (2021) ‘Agency in human–shark encounter’. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space, 4(2), pp.645-666. DOI 10.1177/2514848620929942, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Leah Gibbs (2021) ‘On the Island, on the water, underwater’. Meanjin, 80(3), pp.9-12 Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Beatrice Meo, Sonia Graham, Eduard Ariza, Antonia Casellas, Deisane Delfino, (2021) ‘The resident and visitor gaze: A comparison of coastal values at risk due to sea-level rise’ Environmental Science and Policy, 123, pp 202-209, DOI 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.05.017 . Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Charles Gillon and Leah Gibbs ‘Coastal homemaking: Navigating housing ideals, home realities and more-than-human processes.’ Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, DOI 10.1177/0263775818811140, Australian Centre for Culture Environment and Society
Emotion/ Values and Environmental Change
- Lesley Head, Natashca Klocker, Ikerne Aguirre-Bielschowsky, (2019) ‘Environmental Values, knowledge and behaviour: Contributions on emergent literature on the role of ethnicity and migration’ Progress in Human Geography. DOI. 10.1177/0309132518768407, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
Regional Transformation of Work and Economy
- Chris Gibson, ‘Regional Futures in crisis: Lived experience and the generative role of intermediaries’ Australian Planner. DOI 10.1080/07293682.2022.2105916, Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Macreadie PI; Robertson AI; Spinks B; Adams MP; Atchison JM; Bell-James J; Bryan BA; Chu L; Filbee-Dexter K; Drake L, ‘Operationalising Blue Carbon’ One Earth, DOI 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.04.005. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
- Jenny Atchison (2019) ‘Green and blue infrastructure in Darwin; carbon economies and the social and cultural dimensions of valuing urban mangroves in Australia’ Urban Science DOI 10.3390/urbansci3030086. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Andrew Warren and Chris Gibson (2023) ‘Struggles over Skills: Lived Experiences of Evolving Technologies and Gendered Hierarchies at Work’ Annals of the Associations of American Geographers DOI doi-org.10.1080/24694452.2022.2157790.
Energy Transition and Energy Governance
- Care, O., Bernstein, M.J., Chapman, M. et al. (2021) Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations. Sustain Sci 16, 703–708 DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00909-y. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space
- Dowling, R., McGuirk, P. and Maalsen, S., (2018). Multiscalar governance of urban energy transitions in Australia: The cases of Sydney and Melbourne. Energy Research & Social Science, DOI 10.1016/j.erss.2018.05.027. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
Indigenous Knowledge
- Anna Schlingmann, Sonia Graham, Petra Benyei, Esteve Corbera, Irene Martinez Sanestaban, Andrea Marelle, Ramin Soleymain-Fard, Victoria Reyes-Garcia (2021) ‘Global patterns for adaption to climate change by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. A systematic review.’ Current opinion in Environmental Sustainability. DOI. 10.1016/j.cosust.2021.03.002. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
Community Participation
- Crystal Legacy, Dallas Rogers, Nicole Cook, Kristian Ruming (2018) ‘Beyond the post-political: is public participation in Australian cities at a turning point? Geographical Research DOI. 10.1111/1745-5871.12304. Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space.
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The Blue Energy Futures Lab has no external funding. It is an internal collaboration space supported by the University of Wollongong’s Global Challenges program.