Offshore WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition 2018

e-Poster: Visual and Acoustic Mapping Technologies Reduces Risk and Costs for Siting Wind Farms (Room Station 2)

16 Oct 18
5:40 PM - 5:50 PM

Tracks: Posters, Siting, Wildlife & Environmental Monitoring

Speaker(s): Drew Carey, Chief Executive Officer, INSPIRE Environmental

Offshore wind farm siting benefits from early reconnaissance surveys to supplement desktop studies. We integrated optical and acoustic mapping technologies to eliminate unsuitable locations from siting consideration, significantly reducing siting and construction risks and costs. A 'forward scouting' reconnaissance survey has been used to collect sediment-profile and plan-view images along potential transmission cable routes and turbine locations. These images provide a snapshot of geological and biological processes at the seafloor surface and are combined with acoustic data for habitat mapping. Our results optimized the location of turbine sites and demonstrated feasible preferred cable routes. Post reconnaissance survey, a full geological & geophysical survey was conducted over the preferred route and with minor adjustments was accepted as the turbine site and cable route. Forward scouting can be conducted prior to 'windows' for marine mammal migration and does not require PSOs.