Shell And Eneco Joint Venture Looks To Build Greener Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ecowende, the joint venture (JV) of Shell and Eneco, has unveiled plans for building an offshore wind farm that will be in harmony with nature, with minimal impact on birds, bats, and marine mammals.
This is the first paragraph.
Ecowende, which presented its holistic approach at WindDay 2023, said it is going to implement various innovations, large-scale mitigating and stimulating ecological measures, and an extensive above and under-water monitoring and research programme.
This is all good stuff.
These two paragraphs outline some ideas that will be tried.
Specific measures include increasing the height of the lowest tip of the rotor blades, creating a corridor to Natura 2000 area by placing the turbines extra far apart, and an option to bring the turbines to a standstill that adapts to the flight movements of birds in the wind farm.
This way, Ecowende expects to minimise the number of bird and bat collisions.
The Natura 2000 areas are described in this web site.
Other innovative ideas are described in these two paragraphs.
Biodegradable reef structures are being constructed using fruit trees sourced from Dutch fruit farms. These tree reefs offer a place for fish to shelter and reproduce, according to the press release.
Ecowende said it will also install various forms of eco-friendly erosion protection and the oyster larvae network will be expanded to spread the native flat oyster population.
It certainly looks like Ecowende are making sure, that Just Stop Oil’s offshoot; Just Stop Wind doesn’t take root!
Bat Bridges In Norfolk
The One Show on the BBC has just had a piece about how £300,000 was spent on special bat bridges over the A11 in Norfolk.
Now anybody with Suffolk connections will tell you that they are a bit funny up north, but surely not three hundred grand funny!
To bring the other East Anglian county into the piece, the BBC had also had an interview with a bat Professor from Cambridge University, who had found that the bats weren’t using their expensive highway.
For some years, I’ve always believed that bats are not stupid animals. After all, they can fly!
I was putting up offices on my stud, and in the middle of the cart shed we would be demolishing, the council planning officer thought he saw some bat droppings.
So I called in an expert, from Cambridge University! As one does!
The expert felt there might be the odd evidence of bats, but not to worry as bats often have as many as three roosts and swap between them for various reasons.
He told the council planning officer that the bats wouldn’t mind my new offices.
I do wonder if protesters use the possible existence of bats as a means to stop a development.
The Anonymous Widower 