Posters
Come meet the poster presenters to ask them questions and discuss their work
We would like to invite you to come and see the posters at our upcoming conference. The posters will showcase a diverse range of research topics, and will give delegates an opportunity to engage with the authors and learn more about their work. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or simply curious about the latest developments in your field, we believe that the posters will offer something of interest to everyone. So please join us at the conference and take advantage of this opportunity to learn and engage with your peers in the academic community. We look forward to seeing you there!
PO033: Advancing biodiversity monitoring in offshore wind farms with novel technologies: practical and policy challenges and opportunities.
Daniel Smith, Solution Owner for Site Assessment and Monitoring, Fugro
Abstract
Biodiversity in the offshore wind energy sector has been getting more attention in the last few years. Many major offshore wind developers have adopted biodiversity net gain policies, and research by Wind Europe shows that many countries are including biodiversity impacts as a non-price criterion on site auctions. With the increased focus on biodiversity gain and impacts, monitoring technologies will play a vital role in determining these gains and impacts on-site. Currently, the impacts on marine biodiversity in offshore wind farms are not fully understood, and performing in-depth ecology research is expensive. In addition to that, there are few incentives for operators to invest in biodiversity enhancement or optimisations when the benefits and risks of failures are not clear. In a time where material and plant costs are dramatically increasing, investors want to reduce external risks as much as possible, making it harder to invest in monitoring technologies. To address this, Fugro, Wageningen University and Research, The Rich North Sea, CrossWind, Mekal, and Seekable launched the BeWild collaborative project in early 2023. With the support of a MOOI Subsidy from the Dutch government, BeWild aims to develop a novel monitoring technology, eDNA sampling, in an affordable and reliable way, with hopes to stimulate the wind energy sector make biodiversity measurement a standard element of asset inspection, facilitate improved collaboration and integration of stakeholder needs and provide an example for biodiversity integration in future offshore wind developments. This presentation will discuss early findings from the collaboration in preparation for commissioning a biodiversity monitoring project using remotely acquired eDNA samples at an operational wind farm. The presentation will introduce the project with a focus on practical, scientific, and policy challenges that will need to be overcome if these techniques are to be used at scale.
