Offshore Wind
Navigating regulations
We provide our clients with reliable noise impact information and rational mitigation strategies to successfully meet stringent regulatory requirements, so that offshore wind developments stay on track. The regulation of underwater noise in the U.S., is based on expected numbers of animals affected, rather than on threshold sound levels at a given distance. This requires more comprehensive and sophisticated monitoring approaches.
Our specialized team relies on deep industry experience to provide precisely tailored sound monitoring solutions to ensure regulatory compliance without project delays.
Detection and localization of protected species
JASCO’s proven monitoring technologies enable real-time detection of marine species from surface vehicles, underwater gliders, and moored or drifting buoys to empower timely and well-informed decision making. We work closely with developers and manufacturers of advanced uncrewed offshore vehicles to create integrated solutions that cost effectively deploy the acoustic monitoring platforms at their optimal location. Our detection and localization techniques provide reliable bearings to identified calling species, including North Atlantic right whales.
Current & Past Projects
Northwesters 2 Belgium
Monitoring, Data Analysis
Vineyard Wind 1 & 2
Massachusetts
Modelling
South Fork Wind Farm
Rhode Island
Modelling
Revolution Wind
Rhode Island
Modelling
Skipjack Wind Farm
Maryland
Modelling
Block Island Wind Farm
Rhode Island
Monitoring, Data Analysis
Let our experience work for you
Whether at the present stage of your development you require predictive sound exposure modelling for project permitting, sound field verifications during construction, or wide area monitoring during operation, we provide thorough and adaptable solutions specifically for offshore wind. Our results are widely trusted by industry, governments and special interest groups because of their rigorous scientific defensibility.
Advanced monitoring technologies
JASCO’s range of field-proven sound measurement technologies provide a flexible choice of methods for underwater observations. Our innovative solutions include:
Autonomous surface vehicles
Underwater gliders
Over-the-side sound level meters
Telemetry buoys
Cabled observatories
Autonomous underwater recorders
We’re committed to wind energy
At JASCO, we see it as one of the most mature and effective resources in the ongoing journey to decarbonize the world’s economies. Not only do we place our expertise at the service of environmentally responsible development of wind energy, we are committed to being leaders in its use.
The electrical supply for our flagship Canadian facilities in Halifax, Nova Scotia, including the full engineering and production infrastructure for our instruments, is certified 100% wind sourced.
Learn more
May 2022 — East Coast, United States
Client: Ørsted
Modelling of acoustic sources and sound propagation to estimate Level-A and Level-B take zones for expected UXO types that may be encountered along export cable routes during wind farm construction. This assessment considers acoustic effects to marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish from five possible charge sizes at sites with four water depths near Ørsted’s Revolution Wind project areas. The results are also relevant for sites with similar water depths at Ørsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project, Ørsted’s Sunrise Wind project, and possibly other wind farm sites with similar properties.
Sunrise Wind Farm Project: Underwater Noise and Exposure Modelling
April 2022 — Outer Continental Shelf, United States
Client: Sunrise Wind LLC (Ørsted and Eversource)
JASCO modelled the potential underwater acoustic impacts resulting from pile driving for installing tapered monopiles, pin piles for jacket foundations, casing pipes, and goal post sheet piles for the construction of the 924 MW Sunrise Wind Farm and associated Export Cable. This underwater noise assessment estimates the number of marine mammals and sea turtles that may experience sound levels that exceed regulatory thresholds and calculates exposure ranges. For fish, ranges to regulatory sound thresholds for injury and behavioral disturbance were calculated.
March 2022 — Scotland
Client: Equinor Energy AS
Sound measurements and analysis for the world’s first floating offshore wind farm. Located in the North Sea off the east coast of Scotland, Hywind Scotland comprises five floating wind turbines, each sitting atop a spar buoy that is moored to the seabed. JASCO measured the underwater sound from one turbine for three months using a four-hydrophone tetrahedral array to allow bearing discrimination between sounds from different directions. The sound signature of the turbine was fully characterized, consisting mainly of low-frequency tonal noise associated with rotating rotor and generator components. In addition, the sources of more broadband transient mooring noises were localized.
A Parametric Analysis and Sensitivity Study of the Acoustic Propagation for Renewable Energy
February 2020 — Atlantic Coast, United States
Client: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)
A modelling and analysis study to facilitate improved risk prediction of underwater noise impacts of offshore wind development involving pile driving. It recommends the most efficient acoustic models and ranks the most influential environmental parameters at two representative sites off the United States Atlantic Coast. Co-authored by Michael Ainslie.
Deepwater Wind’s South Fork Wind Farm
May 2019 — Rhode Island, United States
Clients: Jacobs Engineering Group, Deepwater Wind
Appendix J1 – Acoustic Assessment Report—Underwater (Updated February 2021)
Modelling study of underwater construction noise as part of Deepwater Wind’s Construction and Operations Plan to initiate environmental review of the construction and operation of the South Fork Wind Farm offshore Rhode Island. Acoustic fields were modelled for the sound sources associated with construction of the 15 turbines and export cable, namely impact and vibratory pile driving and thrusters of dynamically-positioned vessels. Ranges to acoustic impact thresholds for cetaceans, sea turtles, and fish were predicted.
Vineyard Wind Impact Assessment
October 2018 — Massachusetts, United States
Client: Vineyard Wind, LLC
In 2017, JASCO performed an acoustic impact assessment for Vineyard Wind as part of their Construction and Operations Plan submitted to BOEM. In 2018, this supplemental document addressed BOEM’s request for further information on impact producing factors (IPFs) of the Project. JASCO modelled the sound fields from proposed piling activities and estimated the ranges to various sound level isopleths. The sound fields were then combined with JASCO’s JASMINE animal simulation model to estimate potential exposure levels for marine species.
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