PhD Researcher
School of Natural and Built Environment

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Nuala Carr worked in the engineering consultancy industry for many years as an environmental scientist, project managing the environmental impact assessment and planning phase of energy infrastructure projects, including onshore wind energy, solar PV and overhead transmission lines. She availed of the opportunity to undertake a PhD, through the INTERREG funded Bryden Centre for Advanced Marine and Bio-Energy Research, to explore the use of community benefit funds (CBFs) by offshore wind energy developments as a mechanism to increase social acceptance. Her research is based in Ireland where mandatory community benefit funds have recently been introduced through government policy for any renewable energy development availing of government subsidies. This research aims to understand the various perspectives towards offshore wind energy CBFs from the three social acceptance spheres; government, industry and community, to ascertain if government policies and industry strategies align with community expectations, and ultimately to establish whether CBFs are an appropriate mechanism to increase social acceptance.