Vineyard Wind will deploy bubble curtain noise mitigation expertise developed by Hydrotechnik-Lübeck.
New Bedford, Mass., primarily based Vineyard Wind, which is constructing the primary commercial-scale offshore wind power mission within the U.S.,15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, is to pilot deployment and and testing of a secondary bubble curtain throughout basis set up.
A bubble curtain system, which is comprised of huge, perforated hoses and specialised air compressors, is designed to soak up and dampen sound throughout basis set up. The hoses are positioned on the seafloor across the monopile earlier than being stuffed by compressed air. Once the hoses are inflated, the air escapes by means of the perforations and creates a barrier of bubbles that scale back noise.
Vineyard Wind is partnering with Groton, Conn., headquartered ThayerMahan for the pilot, which is being supported with $5 million in funding from Vineyard Wind’s Industry Accelerator Fund, which is run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC).
As part of the settlement, ThayerMahan, which is utilizing technology developed by German bubble curtain specialist Hydrotechnik-Lübeck (HTL), will transfer its headquarters for its bubble curtain acoustic mitigation product line to New Bedford, sharing a part of the Foss Marine Terminal.
The bubble curtain deployment operations will likely be carried out utilizing Northstar Marine’s Northstar Navigator, a 265-foot Jones Act anchor handler that’s one in every of two vessels acquired by the corporate final 12 months in response to the continued choose up of U.S. East Coast offshore wind work,
“Our agreement with ThayerMahan ensures that for the first time, a US-based company will perform the service of providing a bubble curtain mitigation system for an offshore wind project,” mentioned Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus S. Moeller. “We believe this is the first step of getting U.S. firms experience in this new industry and sets the stage for rapid expansion in the coming years, particularly in our hometown of New Bedford.”
