Fugro and Spoor Create AI Bird-Monitoring Solution for Offshore Wind Farms

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. This 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 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 successfully tested at Hywind Tampen offshore wind farm in the Norwegian North Sea.