Abstract
On July 18, 2024, the Marine Technology Society (MTS) Offshore Renewable Energy Committee in partnership with the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind (RWSC) Technology Subcommittee hosted a Mini TechSurge and Tech Café: Advancing Collaboration and Inspiring Innovation for Offshore Wind Monitoring and Mitigation. The Mini TechSurge and the Tech Café were part of the 2024 State of the Science on Offshore Wind Energy, Wildlife, and Fisheries Workshop hosted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), at Stony Brook University.
These events brought together industry experts, research scientists, government representatives, and technology providers to identify discrete and fundable topics that address current roadblocks to deploying and collecting information from sensors integrated into offshore wind infrastructure.
The Mini TechSurge was a half-day in-person workshop that hosted two sessions:
- Panel Session | Innovative Approaches to Leverage Offshore Infrastructure for Environmental and Wildlife Monitoring: Insights from Above and Below Water: The goal of the panel was to inspire participants by showcasing innovative monitoring approaches that have been successfully applied in other industries or offshore wind projects in other countries, providing potential monitoring solutions for offshore wind development in the U.S.
- Breakout Sessions: Participants engaged in discussions to pinpoint specific bottlenecks, assess the adequacy of data collection and sensor deployment, and explore technological and partnership solutions for enhancing the workflow.
After the Mini TechSurge, a Tech Café was hosted where industry leaders and innovators presented desktop demonstrations of the latest tools and technologies.
This report highlights the important conversations, priorities areas of effort and partnership, and next steps identified by participants. For a full summary of these events, view Appendix B.