Integrated, Real-Time, Multi-Scale System for Monitoring Seabird Interactions with Floating Offshore Wind Technologies
Integral Consulting Inc.
Recipient
Santa Cruz, CA
Recipient Location
17th
Senate District
30th
Assembly District
$1,625,862
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
The team combined the radar system with the thermal imaging system to create a single tool for tracking wildlife movement around offshore wind projects. This setup worked as expected and gave users both radar data and thermal images in one place. They also tested sensors mounted on turbine blades to detect when birds or bats hit the blade, using computer modeling and controlled field tests to confirm the sensors’ accuracy. Together, these technologies can provide a clearer, real-time picture of wildlife activity before and after offshore wind construction.
The Issue
California’s offshore wind energy areas are rich with birds under protection by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act. Proposed wind energy projects will therefore likely be required to generate collision risk models (CRMs) capable of estimating species-specific impacts. CRMs are most sensitive to avoidance rate, which must be calculated from interactions occurring at multiple scales: macro (wind farm avoidance), meso (individual turbine avoidance), and micro (collision avoidance). Advancements in assessment of bird and bat interactions with offshore wind technologies at multiple scales is required to reduce regulatory uncertainty and the potential for delays to planning, permitting, and construction for the first generation of California floating offshore wind energy projects.
Project Innovation
This project is developing and validating an integrated, real-time, autonomous, multiscale system capable of monitoring and characterizing bird and bat interactions (i.e., collision and avoidance) with floating offshore wind infrastructure in remote environments. Results will improve cost-competitiveness and minimize non-technical risks associated with environmental permitting of floating offshore wind energy projects. Results will address critical knowledge gaps regarding collision risk with infrastructure located in marine waters off California and elsewhere.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
For floating offshore wind projects, integrated radar-thermal tracker technologies support both pre-construction baseline monitoring and long-term operational monitoring. Continuous data collection by both the radar and thermal tracker technologies enables energy developers to evaluate seasonal and diurnal bird and bat activity, assess potential turbine interactions, and track real-time changes in flight behaviors. This information helps optimize turbine siting and layout to minimize interactions with high-risk species. Additionally, post-construction monitoring can validate avoidance rates by comparing pre- and post-development movement patterns of birds and bats. These insights inform adaptive management strategies, ensuring that mitigation measures are data-driven and responsive to observed conditions.
Affordability
This technology will lower costs for offshore wind power by reducing wildlife related risks and helping de risk sites before offtake. Investing in predevelopment work decreases developer uncertainty, with an estimated benefit of about $530 million over 25 years. Early environmental monitoring is projected to cost only 0.3–0.5% of LCOE, while permitting delays and litigation currently have far greater economic impacts. Better data-driven wildlife risk ass
Environmental Sustainability
The research addresses risks of wildlife interactions with floating offshore wind energy technologies. Improved understanding of bird and bat avoidance rates through real-time, multi-scale monitoring tools will minimize environmental impacts, specifically, the potential harm to bats and birds including those under protection by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Endangered Species Act.
Key Project Members
Grace Chang
Michael Macrander
Daniel Doolittle
Subrecipients
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
H. T. Harvey & Associates
DeTect, Inc
Sightir, Inc
Velvetwire LLC
General Electric Research
Match Partners
H. T. Harvey &
Associates
Integral Consulting Inc.
DeTect, Inc
Sightir, Inc
Velvetwire LLC
General Electric Research
