Researchers from the UConn Avery Point will be studying how wind farms impact marine life.
The research program is funded by a $1.25 million grant from Orsted and Eversource, the developers of Connecticut’s first offshore wind farm.
“Obviously there are substantial benefits from having clean energy being delivered here in Connecticut, but we also have to understand the potential impacts it has and, importantly, understand how to mitigate the impacts it has to the wildlife that is out there today,” said Michael Ausere, vice president of business development for Eversource.
The grant will fund a lecture series program, but the bulk of the funding will go towards research. UConn Avery Point has a research vessel that they will be able to take out to the wind farms where they are studying.
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Part of the research will include evaluating the marine life food webs.
“If there are interruptions in the food web, then you can imagine there may be interruptions in the populations of commercially important fishes,” said Dr. J. Evan Ward, who leads UConn’s marine science program. “There could be positive impacts, there could be negative impacts. We need to decipher.”
In addition to the newly announced UConn research partnership, Eversource and Orsted are working with Mystic Aquarium to better understand how wind farms impact marine mammals.
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“As we continue to responsibly build more renewable, offshore wind energy to combat climate change and support our country's clean energy goals, we will continue to do so in a way that minimizes impact on marine life," Nicole Verdi, head of government affairs and policy for Orsted in New England, wrote in a press release.
