The Crown Estate has committed £7.3 million to fund five groundbreaking research projects designed to accelerate the UK’s transition to a net-zero energy system while safeguarding marine ecosystems.
The projects are part of the £50 million Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC), a collaborative initiative between The Crown Estate, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Defra.
This latest investment supports a wide range of goals, including reducing the environmental impacts of offshore wind farms, enhancing biodiversity, improving access to marine data, and exploring synergies between wind energy and fisheries.
The projects will address critical knowledge gaps to ensure that offshore wind deployment progresses smoothly while supporting nature restoration and addressing the needs of marine user groups.
By building a comprehensive evidence base, the OWEC programme aims to accelerate consenting processes and foster sustainable growth in the renewable energy sector.
Among the funded initiatives is Disco Scallops, which tests a novel fishing technique involving illuminated static gear that could significantly boost scallop catch rates while reducing the environmental impact of traditional fishing methods.
This approach could be applied within wind farm zones and marine protected areas.
The ECOCHANGE project will investigate the broader ecosystem effects of biodiversity changes caused by offshore wind farms, including the formation of new marine communities around wind farm infrastructure.
The MDE Heritage Accelerator will enhance access to marine heritage data by integrating it into Historic England’s records, helping planners and developers make informed choices more quickly.
In a bid to mitigate environmental impacts, the POWEM project will pilot two innovative techniques: painting turbine blades to prevent bird collisions and limiting construction noise to protect marine species.
Finally, the S3 (Subsea Soundscape) project will develop a new framework to study underwater noise and marine mammal activity in the Celtic Sea, paving the way for more accurate environmental assessments for future offshore developments.
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