A US project has successfully deployed a new ecological scour protection technology off the coast of Long Island, New York.
The Droplock Ecological Scour Protection project has been developed in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Approximately 4000 concrete units were manufactured earlier in August in New York for the trial.
The two-year joint R&D project, which aims to provide offshore wind projects with ecological scour protection, began in May 2021 and is funded by the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy Foundation with the participation of the US Department of Energy.
The project partners are ECOncrete Tech, a provider of “bio-enhancing” concrete technology, and Holcim US, a cement producer.
Together, they are developing an offshore scour protection that requires up to 30% less material, minimises native habitat degradation and supports ecological uplift in offshore wind projects.
“The unit’s ecological properties mimic natural marine habitats’ features while providing the armouring functionality required for scour protection,” said Ido Sella, CEO and Co-Founder of ECOncrete Tech.
“The ecological uplift and long term functionality of ecologically sensitive solutions can mitigate some of the associated impacts of offshore infrastructure.
“The ecological performance will be verified through comprehensive scientific monitoring comparing the bio-enhanced system to the standard rock based scour protection to set new industry standards for responsible construction.”
Carl LoBue, Ocean Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in NY, said: “This deployment of materials is exciting and timely.
“The Nature Conservancy believes there is great potential in intentionally designing and constructing materials used in offshore wind energy development in ways that are intended to create habitat for fish and other marine life.”
ECOncrete units’ properties and design facilitate the settlement of calcifying organisms, creating an active carbon sink that absorbs CO2 throughout a structure’s lifespan.
This project provides the first and only structural solution that benefits both foundation resiliency and the local marine ecosystem.
In a recent technical report, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) recommended ECOncrete’s nature-based design for cable protection and scour protection.
ECOncrete technology is also featured in the Wind Energy Monitoring & Mitigation Technologies Tool developed by the International Energy Agency Wind Task 34 (WREN), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, as well as in the Dutch government’s nature inclusive design catalogue for offshore wind infrastructure.