Ecowende

📰 Bionieuws on impact offshore wind turbines on birds 🗞   In a recent interview with Koen Moons in Bionieuws, Ecowende colleagues Hermione van Zutphen and Eldina S.alkanovic share their thoughts on the effects of offshore wind turbines on birds. While progress has been made in better understanding its ecological impact, there is still relatively little known about how offshore wind turbines effect bird populations.   Hermione and Eldina emphasize the need for robust scientific research to better understand these effects. Ecowende will perform this research during the construction and operation phase of the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) wind farm. Pioneering with eco-innovations and gathering more data will help ensure that both the energy transition and the protection of wildlife can go hand in hand.   As Hermione points out, “In the HKW tender, the Dutch government has placed a strong focus on ecological measures. For birds, we have designed a bird corridor and increased the rotor height of some of the turbines. So, both horizontally and vertically, we are making space for seabirds.” Eldina adds: “We are also going to implement a combination of radar, cameras, and Artificial Intelligence. Together with DHI, Robin Radar Systems and Wedge Global (MIDO) we are implementing bird monitoring and recognition systems prior, during and after construction. We use radar to detect birds and camera to follow the trajectory of the birds. AI helps to identify the species of bird. This gives us more knowledge about whether and how we can prevent collisions for certain species.”   Below the full interview (in Dutch) in Bionieuws to learn more about this topic. For more information about our eco-innovations for birds, visit the website 💻 https://lnkd.in/dGVtc8bM   #TeamingUpWithNature #OffshoreWind #Birds #Research #EnergyTransition #Bionieuws #Ecowende

📣 Partnership announcement: Cognite and HUB Ocean 📣 We selected Cognite, the globally recognized authority in Data and AI for industry, and HUB Ocean, a pioneer in ocean data, expertise, to build and operate the Ecology Data Repository (EDR) for our wind farm. The EDR will play a crucial role in collecting, validating, and sharing the ecological data from numerous sensors in our offshore installations and stand-alone surveys, filling knowledge gaps, supporting research and promoting transparency around offshore wind development. “Cognite and HUB Ocean present a unified approach to deliver the EDR, ensuring Ecowende benefits from a top-tier industrial software company and state-of-the-art domain expertise,” says Laxmi Akkaraju, Chief Customer Officer at Cognite. Kimberly Mathisen, CEO of HUB Ocean, adds: “Our combined expertise, coupled with the robust, scalable, and powerful data management and AI capabilities, provides a solution that supports environmentally-conscious offshore wind operations. We are committed to supporting Ecowende in achieving its ambitious goals for the Ecology Data Repository.” Tjalling de Bruin, CEO at Ecowende: “Together, we will create a data sharing model for research, ocean science, and environmental management around offshore wind activities.” The partnership news was announced at Ocean Data Action Day 2024 on October 10 in Oslo. Read the full news article on our website 💻 https://lnkd.in/dZvy-frD #teamingupwithnature #teamwork #offshorewind #energytransition #ecologydata Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

🔦 Partner in the spotlight: 24SEA 🔦 24SEA provides data-driven insights in the structural integrity of Ecowende’s wind turbine support structures. Being a spin-off from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel the innovative mindset remains part of 24SEA’s DNA. This long-term academic cooperation resulted in 24SEA’s today’s unique expertise to perform data-analysis on the dynamics and loads of our wind turbines' support structures (tower and foundation). This is done based on a smart combination of a subset of six wind turbines with a complete monitoring system, a reduced monitoring system installed on every wind turbine and state-of-the-art data-analysis expertise. Gert De Sitter and Christof Devriendt, CEO duo at 24SEA, are pleased to work on our project: "With our instrumentation and expertise, we support Ecowende with the lifetime assessment of the wind turbine support structures in the entire wind farm. Studying the wind turbines’ support structures on Ecowende may be an important step towards the application of similar positive ecological measures in future offshore wind developments.” 💻 Read more about 24SEA on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/gqwDm4cX #teamingupwithnature #teamwork #partners #offshorewind #energytransition #innovation Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

💡 Ecology Insights: PAM network 💡 There is still plenty to learn about harbour porpoises in the North Sea. We know that harbour porpoises are easily disturbed by noise, but we are unsure what the specific behavioural changes associated with this disturbance are and how long these changes will last. The better we understand the harbour porpoise and its habitat, the better we can take this into account. This is why we want to thoroughly monitor and research the harbour porpoises, together with scientists. One of the measures is our PAM (passive acoustic monitoring) network. We will deploy this network for 7 years, with 14 measuring stations both inside and outside the wind farm. Earlier this month we installed the PAM network offshore, so we can start monitoring prior to the construction of our wind farm to perform a baseline measurement. Luitze Perk, CEO at WaterProof Marine Consultancy & Services B.V. “This is really a special project, because we are building an enormous data set.” Pauline Roos, Marine Ecologist at Ecowende adds: “What we hope to learn from the research is how harbour porpoises behave before, during and after the construction of the wind farm.” 📹 Watch the video to learn more. #teamingupwithnature #offshorewind #harbourporpoises #scientificresearch Shell, Eneco, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

We are happy to see that our wind energy will help international chemical company LyondellBasell to go greener and meet its climate change targets. To this end, LyondellBasell has signed a long-term agreement with Eneco, which – together with Shell and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. – is one of our three shareholders. Of Ecowende's total capacity of 760 MW, more than 3 percent will be dedicated to LyondelBasell for the next 15 years from 2027. This equates to around 103 gigawatt hours of green wind power per year and is equal to the annual consumption of around 28,500 European households. This is in line with LyondellBasell's goal to source at least half of its electricity needs from sustainable sources by 2030. #teamingupwithnature #offshorewind #energytransition #climategoals

📣 Partner announcement: IUCN to provide guidance for biodiversity monitoring at Ecowende wind farm 📣 We signed a partnership agreement with IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature). IUCN will establish an independent scientific advisory team to provide guidance on the implementation of best practices in terms of biodiversity monitoring. The so-called “Ecowende Biodiversity Advisory Team” will consist of scientists and experts with experience in marine ecology in the North Sea region. These scientists and experts will focus on migratory birds, bats, North Sea fish populations, marine mammals, and marine species found on the seabed (the benthic communities). Significant knowledge gaps exist in our global understanding of offshore wind’s effects on marine ecosystems, the effectiveness of certain mitigation measures, and the pursuit of net positive impact in offshore wind projects. The establishment of an independent advisory team will aid in the broader evaluation of offshore wind’s environmental impact on ecology and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge. “IUCN recognises that offshore wind needs to play a greater role if we expect to meet our climate goals under the Paris Agreement. However, the green energy transition shouldn't come at the expense of the environment. That is why IUCN is pleased to partner with Ecowende. Together we can further understand the impact that offshore wind developments have on marine ecosystems and find solutions that benefit nature,” said IUCN Deputy Director General Stewart Maginnis. Read the news article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/djUDtNX6 #teamingupwithnature #biodiversity #offshorewind #iucn #ecowende #hollandsekustwest Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

🔦 Partner in the spotlight: Proeon Systems 🔦 Proeon Systems Ltd. is responsible for the engineering design, supply, installation and integration of Ecowende's electrical control systems in the offshore high voltage substation for Hollandse Kust West. This substation connects our wind farm to TenneT TSO B.V.’s offshore grid. Proeon are delivering engineering design and manufacture of the Wind Park Operator (WPO) network, utilising the latest in secure digital technology and industrial best practices. Systems include: power distribution, metering and ecology systems, for the WPO room at the offshore high voltage substation. Proeon share Ecowendes vision for utilising innovation and sustainable development in the construction of this wind farm and future wind farms. Read more on our website 💻 https://lnkd.in/dsbhkc5i #teamingupwithnature #offshorewind #innovation #sustainabledevelopment #energytransition Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Richard Miller

💡 Innovation Insights: ecological scour protection 💡 At the Ecowende wind farm we will apply ecological scour protection on a large scale and will test various designs to determine which design provides the most optimal ecological scour protection. The scour protection has been designed by our partner Van Oord. Recently, DHI carried out a physical model test campaign of different scour protection and cable protection system stabilisation designs. It was interesting to see first-hand how some of these efforts affected the performance of the scour protection and we saw very promising results, with all the designs appearing to show good stability. Ecowende's ambition is to develop and monitor the effects of our ecological efforts to build and operate a wind farm in harmony with nature. Pauline Roos, Marine Ecologist at Ecowende: “The scour protection is a good example of how we are teaming up with nature, because we take into consideration the needs of marine life and try to cater to that in our scour protection designs. By installing and extensively monitoring various designs we hope to learn more about what works best to support the local ecosystem. I look forward to seeing these designs at sea and watching marine life colonize the rocks.” Read more about ecological scour protection and other eco-innovations on our website 🖥 : https://lnkd.in/derAecuZ 📸 Asbjørn Utoft Madsen, Irene Tönis, Joe Haley, Jelle Muller, Pauline Janssen, Robert Lengkeek, Anders Wedel Nielsen #teamingupwithnature #energytransition #offshorewind #biodiversity Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

💡 Innovation Insights: MUSE 💡 We team up with partner DHI to implement MUSE. This innovation helps ensure protection of birds and bats with maximum uptime of our wind turbines. DHI’s AI-based algorithms automatically identify the species of birds of concern and locate bats in the wind farm zone and can automatically send signals to advise on slowing down individual wind turbines if a priority species of bird is in danger of collision. Mikael Kamp Sørensen, Executive Vice President for Energy & Ports, DHI: “Ecowende will be a pioneering lighthouse for eco-innovations in offshore wind. DHI is ready to support the mission of truly integrating sustainability into the design and operation of offshore wind farms. With MUSE we can protect birds and bats from collision and still achieve the most ambitious goals for renewable energy production.” Want to know how MUSE works? Watch the animation below 👇 and for more info on DHI go to our website 💻 https://lnkd.in/dANepPrZ #teamingupwithnature #innovation #ecology #offshorewind #energytransition #hollandsekustwest Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

🔦 Partner in the spotlight: Vestas 🔦 As Ecowende’s wind turbine supplier, Vestas is responsible for the supply, delivery, and commissioning of the 52 wind turbines for the wind farm. The wind turbines have a swept area of 43,742 m2 – the size of more than five football fields – and a blade length of 115.5 metres. Vestas also supports us in delivering the technologically innovative ecological measures. This includes increasing the hub height of the wind turbines, as well as integrating bird curtailment, detection and deterrence systems into the turbine design. Read more about Vestas and other partners on our website 💻 https://lnkd.in/dEgaDbas #teamingupwithnature #windturbines #windenergy #innovations #ecology Shell Eneco Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Nils de Baar