Fugro provides global geo-data to the offshore wind farm industry and recently partnered with Spoor, a software company that helps renewable energy projects reduce their environmental impact. Together, the companies plan to develop a new AI bird monitoring system for offshore renewable energy projects.

AI Protecting Birds and Supporting Renewable Energy

According to a statement from Fugro, the AI monitoring system protects bird populations and supports the growth of renewable energy. The system reportedly will make environmental assessments “more affordable, cleaner, and safer.”

Video cameras installed on Fugro’s SEAWATCH Wind Lidar and other metocean buoys record bird activity at wind farm locations. Spoor’s computer vision and AI software analyze the recordings to “quickly and accurately” identify bird species. Traditionally, the statement says, bird monitoring systems require good weather and aircraft or vessel surveys. However, these methods are costly. Additionally, they have a high carbon footprint and impose safety risks on crews.

Fugro and Spoor’s system reportedly overcomes these challenges. According to the statement, the system uses buoy-mounted cameras that capture high-quality video year-round, even in rough sea conditions. Fugro says this approach is a “more reliable and cost-effective” way to conduct legally required environmental impact assessments for offshore wind farms.

The companies are already testing the bird-monitoring solution at Hywind Tampen offshore wind farm in the Norwegian North Sea.

“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.

“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.