Fugro VirGeo®

How do we protect marine ecosystems while advancing renewable energy? This is where biodiversity monitoring comes in. Biodiversity monitoring ensures that we protect our marine ecosystems, when managing an offshore wind project. Here are four methods of biodiversity monitoring: 1. Real-time monitoring systems: Using technologies like uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) with acoustic sensors and underwater cameras, we can track marine life and respond to disturbances immediately. 2. Baseline environmental assessments: Conducting thorough baseline assessments before a project starts establishes a reference point to measure changes and impacts over time. 3. Remote sensing and USVs: Remote sensing technologies and USVs provide high-resolution imaging, thermal sensing, and subsea surveys with minimal disturbance to the environment. 4. Genetic and molecular techniques: Techniques like environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling help identify species presence and abundance non-invasively. Monitoring alone isn’t enough; we need to minimise the impact. Here are three ways to protect marine ecosystems: 1. Adaptive management strategies: Making data-driven adjustments to construction and operational practices helps mitigate environmental impacts. 2. Stakeholder engagement: Engaging with environmental agencies, local communities, and other stakeholders builds trust and ensures regulatory compliance. 3. Regulatory compliance and best practices: Adhering to environmental regulations and industry best practices ensures projects meet legal requirements and promote sustainable development. Biodiversity monitoring is essential for the sustainability and environmental responsibility of offshore wind projects

What if the site characterisation data collected during the development of offshore wind assets could be used to unlock new scientific discoveries and innovations? Every day, we gather valuable seabed and subsurface data. This high-quality data is crucial for project development and has the potential to drive scientific research, foster innovation, and inform policymaking. Stakeholders are eager to share this information to fuel scientific research and innovation, but effective data sharing requires collaboration. Data owners need to address concerns about proprietary information, the volume of information and ensure data compatibility. Recent advancements in data management, like smaller file sizes and accessible cloud storage, make sharing data easier than ever. Imagine the possibilities when scientists, researchers, and policymakers access this wealth of information. Experts from various sectors are working to balance open sharing with protecting proprietary information and ensuring responsible data use. By tackling these challenges, we can promote scientific collaboration, enhance our understanding of marine environments and drive innovation across sectors. The journey may be complex, but the potential rewards for science and society are immense. What are your thoughts on sharing this valuable data for scientific advancement?

How can we meet our future energy needs if the challenges of offshore wind are multiplying? Governments worldwide rely on offshore wind to meet energy needs. For example, the UK aims for up to 50 GW by 2030, enough to power every home, with up to 5 GW from floating offshore wind. As demand for green energy grows, so do the challenges. Building larger offshore wind farms requires high-quality data to optimise installation and operation. However, capturing, analysing, and delivering these datasets is becoming harder with limited resources and tight deadlines. The increasing number and size of wind farms, along with their distance from shore, multiply the challenges of connecting them to the grid and managing data. Fast access to high-quality Geo-data is essential, requiring providers to speed up data acquisition, analysis, and delivery. In the late 1990s, a single survey vessel might have sufficed for a few days to gather Geo-data. Today, we often use five vessels over several months, conducting site investigations and collecting data that has grown from a few hundred gigabytes to 50 terabytes on average per wind farm. This scale increase brings problems. Managing and sharing larger datasets is harder, especially with poor offshore connectivity. Achieving low carbon and net zero depends on overcoming these hurdles. Efficiency is now a necessity. Data processing and analysis are increasingly carried out by global onshore centres, delivering Geo-data insights through advanced platforms. Digitalised processes track and manage data collection workflows, revolutionising data management in the offshore wind sector. Automation speeds up data processing, providing early, high-quality insights critical for project success. These platforms enable clients to visualise and interpret Geo-data, share it internally or with contractors, and use tools to manipulate data and perform engineering assessments. What strategies do you think could help us solve these data challenges and ensure the success of offshore wind development?