The Departments of Energy and the Interior announced nearly $17 million in funding to support the offshore wind industry, including efforts to protect marine life. Despite the U.S. government having said there are “no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities,” federal officials are investing in additional measures to enhance protections for marine animals during the construction of wind turbines.
A portion of the new funding will be used to develop technologies and strategies aimed at reducing underwater noise during the installation of offshore wind farms. Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said these efforts will help ensure “environmentally responsible development” of this infrastructure.
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Marine experts highlighted the potential impacts of noise from wind farm construction. Pile driving, the process of hammering turbines into the seafloor, can produce sound levels exceeding 225 decibels underwater, which is comparable to the volume of noise that a person would hear from putting their head near a Boeing 747 engine at full power.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently acknowledged that the sounds from these activities could “adversely affect” nearby whale populations and marine life. However, NOAA officials have stated they do not anticipate that the construction will result in any whale fatalities or serious injuries. They assert that these activities will not jeopardize the continued existence of any whale species, including the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
In total, seven projects have been selected to receive federal funding to address the noise issue. The largest grant, nearly $4 million, will go to Purdue University for its efforts to mitigate the underwater sound generated during turbine installation.
Tags: construction, Marine life, Offshore wind farms, U.S. Energy Department, Whales, Wind energy, Wind farms
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SAYS THERE ARE NO KNOWN LINKS BETWEEN OFFSHORE WIND OPERATIONS AND LARGE WHALE DEATHS.
BUT THE DEPARTMENTS OF ENERGY AND THE INTERIOR ARE STILL SET TO SPEND MILLIONS ON BETTER PROTECTIONS FOR THESE ANIMALS WHILE TURBINES ARE BEING INSTALLED.
THIS WEEK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED NEARLY 17 MILLION DOLLARS IN FUNDING FOR THE OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY-
A PORTION OF WHICH WILL GO TOWARDS DEVELOPING ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGIES AND STRATEGIES TO REDUCE UNDERWATER NOISE LEVELS WHEN CONSTRUCTING THESE WIND FARMS.
OFFICIALS SAY THIS MOVE WILL HELP ENHANCE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY DEPLOYMENTS.
MARINE EXPERTS SAY THE SOUND OF PILE DRIVING A TURBINE MONOPILE INTO THE SEAFLOOR CAN EXCEED 225 DECIBELS UNDERWATER-
SIMILAR TO HOW LOUD A BOEING 747’S ENGINE WOULD BE AT FULL POWER WITH YOUR HEAD CLOSE TO IT.
LAST MONTH THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION SAID THE NOISE LEVEL FROM THESE ACTIVITIES IS LIKELY TO ADVERSELY AFFECT NEARBY WHALE POPULATIONS.
BUT ADDED THEY DON’T FORESEE ANY OF THE CREATURES BEING KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED AS A RESULT-
ASSERTING THAT OFFSHORE PILE DRIVING WILL NOT JEOPARDIZE THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF ANY WHALE SPECIES-
INCLUDING THE ENDANGERED NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE.
SEVEN DIFFERENT PROJECTS AIMED AT CUTTING DOWN ON HOW LOUD ERECTING TURBINES CAN BE WERE SELECTED TO RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDING-
WITH THE LARGEST GRANT OF ALMOST FOUR MILLION DOLLARS BEING PUT TOWARDS PURDUE UNIVERSITY’S EFFORTS TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE.
TO GET MORE STORIES ABOUT OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENTS AND HOW THEY CAN IMPACT THE ENVIRONMENT-
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JACK AYLMER.
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