Show Notes
Over three episodes, we’ve been learning about ways to maintain, and even improve, biodiversity around offshore wind farms. We’ve heard how the industry is helping to shape biodiversity policy. We’ve talked to researchers who are developing ways to monitor the interactions of birds and turbines. And in this final episode, we’re going to discover innovative ways to monitor biodiversity across marine ecosystems more efficiently, and less invasively.
Umberto Binetti is a marine biodiversity expert, working for developer RWE. He explains that current monitoring requirements focus on construction, when the most disruption is expected. Some wind turbines are now reaching the end of their design life, and face mandatory removal. This could see foundations that have become a biodiversity hotspot being dismantled, at great expense and risk to offshore workers, with a negative impact on marine life.
RWE’s SeaMe project at the Kaskasi windfarm in Germany, supported by the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM), is using a suite of innovative technologies, including drones, autonomous underwater vehicles, eDNA, and machine vision to provide holistic monitoring of wind farms.
Fugro’s Dan Smith is working on the BeWild project at the CrossWind wind farm in the Danish North Sea, in collaboration with Wageningen University, Mecal, Seekable and the Rich North Sea. The project uses Fugro’s uncrewed surface vessels and remotely operated vehicles, alongside other equipment, to collect high resolution images for three-dimensional photogrammetry, and eDNA.
These innovations will help develop holistic ecosystem-wide monitoring, allow wind farm owners, regulators, and other stakeholders to understand the most effective means to ensure wind farms have a positive impact on nature, as well as on climate change.
Host
Jon Baston-Pitt
Guests
Umberto Binetti, Marine Biodiversity Expert, RWE
Daniel Smith, Offshore Wind Biodiversity Solution Owner, Fugro
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