I did my first degree at the OU and did my Masters part-time. When I decided to do a PhD at the OU I did not really know about research at the OU or how it was done.
I chose to investigate renewable energy under the supervision of Dr Suresh Nesaratnam in the Faculty of Maths, Computing and Technology. I wanted to explore this area further because even though we understand how to use renewable energy, we do not rely on it fully and also use an auxiliary. I wanted to demonstrate that it could be relied on fully so I developed a methodology for how this could work.
"I studied various locations that needed water and would benefit for this system and decided on New Haven and Eritrea and developed a methodology for powering a reversal osmosis plant that provided water for 50,000 people."
I also looked at how much it would cost to have a renewable energy plan in comparison to a conventional one. I found that in the UK, it tended to be more expensive, but in Eritrea, it was comparatively cheaper. I have changed jobs since I started my PhD and I now work for Mott MacDonald in Wind, Wave and Tidal Power which is directly related to my PhD. When asked how my research will change the world, I would say that this is a small step in making renewable energy more reliable so that we do not have to rely on the Grid all the time.