Integrated Monitoring Approach to Reduce Entanglement Hazards for Floating Offshore Wind Developments

Project Update

2024-2025: Initial simulation work related to baseline conditions and static simulation runs have been conducted for representative Humboldt and Morro Bay wind energy areas. Force outputs for key species have been parametrized and documented in order to understand potential force implications for secondary entanglement interactions with mooring lines. Representative gear has been modeled and simulated in order to understand responses of mooring lines and floating offshore wind systems to entangled gear. Static force simulations with key species have been conducted. Project teams responsible for developing the inspection ROV, and the integrated sensor package are engaged and establishing experimental designs for laboratory testing. Initial sensor selection efforts are underway as the teams work with the simulation output data produced by the simulation team in order to understand which types of sensors may be applicable for entanglement risk assessment and secondary entanglement detection. Additional efforts also include working to determine dynamic behaviors and possible representative force signatures of key species in entanglement situations.

2023-2024: Project has initiated first phase which includes assembling project team and establishing plans and timelines. Initial modeling and simulation efforts have begun. The project has thus far been engaged in environmental data collection, relevant industry and literature reviews, as well as garnered useful input from project partners, technical advisory committee members, scientists, engineers and academic experts. Modeling and simulation efforts have initially focused on establishing baseline conditions, upon which entanglement scenarios will be investigated and analyzed.