Oregon State University is set to develop a monitoring system for offshore wind turbines under the recently announced USD 2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The university will design, manufacture and test an autonomous monitoring system for the detection of bird and bat collisions with offshore wind turbines.
The system is expected to combine microphones and 360-degree cameras with analysis software to detect and verify the impacts.
“Oregon State University is proud of its faculty research community for contributing significant scientific discovery and innovation toward a renewable energy future,” said Irem Tumer , Oregon State’s Interim Vice President for Research.
“Dr. Roberto Albertani and his team will play a key role in utilizing technological innovation to improve understanding of how offshore wind energy systems may interact with the surrounding natural environment.”
Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the grant on 18 March, a few days after DOE made public that it is allocating USD 6.2 million for early-stage research and development projects aiming to reduce environmental compliance costs and impacts of offshore and onshore wind energy.
“If we want to curb climate chaos and remain an economic force in the world, we must invest in research and development for the most cutting-edge energy technology,” said Merkley .
“I’ve climbed to the top of a wind turbine and witnessed their power—not only powering the electric grid with clean energy, but also powering local economies with jobs. This investment in research is good for our planet and good for our communities.”