New Research Finds Sound from Offshore Wind Farm Operations Has “No Detectable Effect” on Marine Environment

Sept. 21, 2018

New research funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and conducted by researchers at the University of Rhode Island finds that sound from the operation of the turbines at the offshore Block Island Wind Farm is having no detectable effect on the marine environment. The researchers found that during the pile-driving construction stage, the first step in building the support structure for the turbines, the sound was quite loud. Developers already employ mitigation measures during this stage. The acoustic monitoring of the wind farm is part of an effort to understand the impact of wind turbine construction and operations on the environment for future wind farms to be planned appropriately. Learn more about the study and the findings.