Fugro and Spoor, a software company that helps renewable energy projects reduce their environmental impact, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop a new bird-monitoring solution for offshore renewable energy projects.
The artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system will not only help protect bird populations but also supports the growth of renewable energy by making environmental assessments more affordable, cleaner, and safer.
The solution uses video cameras installed on Fugro’s SEAWATCH Wind Lidar and other metocean buoys to record bird activity at wind farm locations. Spoor’s advanced computer vision and AI software then analyses these recordings to quickly and accurately identify bird species.
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. Fugro and Spoor’s system overcomes these challenges by using buoy-mounted cameras that capture high-quality video year-round, even in harsh sea conditions.
This approach provides a more reliable and cost-effective way to conduct legally required environmental impact assessments for offshore wind farms.
The launch of this new bird-monitoring solution was already tested at Hywind Tampen offshore wind farm in the Norwegian North Sea.
SEAWATCH-based bird identification and tracking at Hywind Tampen offshore wind farm (Credit: Spoor and Fugro)
“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. This innovative partnership will streamline bird-monitoring at wind farms and support the development of offshore projects,” said Jørn Erik Norangshol, Fugro’s Regional Service Line Director, Metocean Science for Europe and Africa.
“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,” added Christian Skaarup Rasmussen, Spoor’s Vice President of Partner Sales.
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