The Living Windfarms Project
➤ 2022 - 2024 ➤ Offshore Wind Growth Partnership ➤ De Rijke Noordzee ➤ Jan de Nul
Problem
To prevent damage to offshore wind turbine foundations and cable route infrastructure, scour protection is required. Traditional methods, such as rock dumping, inevitably lead to changes in sea floor ecology by introducing different substrate types into the environment. Through utilising nature-inclusive designs, windfarm foundations can further support the ocean’s health by mimicking native reef systems which form havens for wildlife, all whilst providing effective scour protection.
Currently, available artificial reefs must be deployed individually in a time consuming and costly manner by winching single units down to the sea floor.
Solution
The ‘Living Windfarms Project’ is a two year, £750,000 project, part funded by the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) to establish mass production of ExoReef units and full-scale pilot studies focusing on mass deployment.
ExoReefs incorporate recycled materials into usable products, turning dredged sediment or by-products from the quarrying and construction sectors into viable, habitat-enhancing products. Each unit can contain up to 90% recycled by-products which enables a 17% reduction in lifetime carbon emissions compared to conventional concrete.
Manufactured by Exo Engineering, ExoReef products are designed to increase subtidal marine biodiversity as part of the scour protection for windfarm pylons and cable routes. This is achieved through greater surface heterogeneity, the creation of variable environmental parameters and niche micro habitats which provides suitable environments for marine flora and fauna to establish. Macro features such as holes and crevasses offer shelter for mobile marine fauna, with the objective to improve marine biodiversity at offshore windfarms.
Results
The commercialisation of ExoReef units that can be deployed en-masse would constitute a significant innovation, potentially catalysing increased uptake of artificial reef scour applications for offshore windfarms. By mass deploying ExoReef products, deployment cost is reduced which increases the competitiveness against traditional scour protection methods. This represents a viable alternative for windfarm installers, operators, and contractors to increase biodiversity as part of offshore wind farm development.
