Fugro and Spoor have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a new AI bird-monitoring solution for offshore wind projects.
The solution uses video cameras installed on Fugro’s SEAWATCH wind LiDAR and other metocean buoys to record bird activity at offshore wind farm locations. Spoor’s advanced computer vision and AI software then analyses these recordings to quickly and accurately identify bird species.
“This partnership with Fugro marks an exciting step forward in making offshore bird monitoring simpler, smarter, and more scalable. By embedding Spoor’s AI powered bird tracking into Fugro’s offshore platforms, we’re giving developers access to high-quality, reliable data to meet biodiversity requirements,” said Christian Skaarup Rasmussen , Spoor’s Vice President of Partner Sales.
Traditional bird monitoring methods require good weather and aircraft or vessel surveys, which are costly, have a high carbon footprint, and pose safety risks to field staff, according to Fugro.
Fugro and Spoor’s system is said to overcome these challenges by using buoy-mounted cameras that capture high-quality video year-round, even in harsh sea conditions.
This approach should provide a more reliable and cost-effective way to conduct legally required environmental impact assessments for offshore wind farms.
“We’re excited to be unlocking insights by connecting Spoor’s advanced computer vision software with our world-leading SEAWATCH® buoy technology to create a reliable bird-monitoring platform that can withstand tough offshore conditions,” said Jørn Erik Norangshol , Fugro’s Regional Service Line Director, Metocean Science for Europe and Africa.
The launch of the new bird-monitoring solution was tested at the Hywind Tampen offshore wind farm in the Norwegian North Sea. The floating wind project features 11 Siemens Gamesa 8.6 MW turbines.