Two new research projects are ready to start at DTU Offshore after VELUX FONDEN has approved applications for funding in a drive to let science improve the environmental sustainability of offshore activities.
Potential hazard for the marine environment
The project Oil emissions from offshore windfarms – impacts on marine biodiversity takes its starting point from the fact that windmills contain a lot of oil to make them run smoothly. This is a potential hazard to the marine environment.
“Offshore windmill may cause uncontrolled discharge of different oils into the sea, for example hydraulic fluids and lubricants. Our project will investigate the potential consequences for the marine environment with the purpose of understanding the chemical impact and developing methods to avoid damage to the marine environment. This could for example be by substitution of various chemical additives in the fluids”, says Professor Simon I. Andersen, Research Director at DTU Offshore.
Preventive measures
LoCo2: A journey from storage to seabed – impact of future large scale offshore CO2 storage on the marine environment is the name of an ambitious project investigating the consequences of upscaling carbon storage deep under the seabed.
“Albeit small, there is a risk of CO2 leakage in offshore storage sites. Developing monitoring and predictive tools, LoCo2 will make sure that offshore CO2 storage is safe for the marine environment,” explains Senior Researcher Hamid Nick, DTU Offshore, who oversees the project.
UN decade for ocean research
“The ocean faces more and more complex challenges that don’t stop at borders. Therefore, we are pleased to support research that at the same time investigates local challenges and addresses broader, global perspectives through international cooperation. In this way, we create better knowledge about managing the sea, while it also contributes to the implementation of the UN decade for ocean research,” says Charlotte Mogensen, programme leader of VELUX FONDEN’s environmental programme.
