Background

Dr Luofeng Huang is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Mechanical Engineering, endorsed by Forbes as a "30 under 30" in Europe. He graduated from University College London (UCL) with a PhD in ships and offshore structures, specialising in ocean engineering and wave-structure interactions. In recent years, he has adapted relevant knowledge to renewable energy systems in seas, such as floating solar farms, wave/tidal energy devices, and offshore wind turbines.

Research opportunities

Dr Huang is keen on interdisciplinary research, backed by a wide network and trustworthy playmaker character. He has been managing or working within projects funded by Innovate UK, EPSRC, Royal Society, EU Horizon, British Council, Lloyds Register Foundation, Department for Transport, alongside a variety of industrial projects. As Principal Investigator (PI), Luofeng has successfully secured research projects with over £1 million in funds.

The research coverage of Dr Huang spreads across energies, structures, and fluids, especially their interactions. He has expertise in coastal and offshore engineering, particularly interested in the design, prototyping, simulation, experiments, construction, operation and sustainability of relevant renewable energy systems. Dr Huang focused on developing his research skills in high-fidelity simulation techniques, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Computational Solid Mechanics (CSM) and Fluid-Structure Interactions (FSI). Since joining Cranfield University, he has also been developing various experimental facilities to support the ever-evolving research needs.

Current activities

Dr Huang is currently the PI of the Innovate UK Project - Solar2Wave. In this project, he coordinates a large team of over 30 members from both academia and industry. The project aspires to place floating solar panels on seas to save scarce land and lake space, whilst addressing a key challenge - designing a novel solar farm that can remain intact in the destructive power of ocean waves. This innovation will be provided as a clean and affordable energy solution for remote Indonesian islands, where millions of residents still lack access to electricity. Solar2Wave has been featured by the BBC and the Energy Institute. The team is constructing and operating Indonesia's first ocean-based solar power plant (as well as one of the world's first). Read more about this project at: https://solar2wave.co.id/

Clients

Dr Luofeng Huang has enthusiasm for transforming his research innovations into real-world products and operations, so he works closely with the industry. For example, he is in long-term partnerships with Achelous Energy and HelioRec.

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers