Shifter

offshoreWIND

The project is a unique collaboration between Vattenfall, Spoor and the British Trust for Ornithology.

Using innovative, first-of-its-kind AI technology, the project will record the 3D flight behaviour of seabirds in the immediate vicinity of the turbine blades of Vattenfall’s offshore wind farm, off the coast of Aberdeen. 

Four cameras have been installed and have started collecting data, with the trial expected to conclude and findings announced in June 2024. 

In line with Vattenfall’s commitment to high-quality research we have engaged the prestigious British Trust for Ornithology to provide independent scientific validation of the trial.

A new collaborative innovation project tracking seabirds with AI technology has started at Vattenfall’s offshore wind farm off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland. Working with Spoor, a Norwegian pioneering AI start-up, the project will trial new technology to document how seabirds interact with offshore wind turbines. 

Spoor’s ground-breaking AI technology has been developed to track a bird’s 3D flight path throughout a wind farm and in the immediate vicinity of the turbine blades, providing valuable insights on bird flight patterns and behaviour, as well as potentially detecting collisions. 

Being able to document avoidance behaviour accurately is vital for providing more realistic collision-risk modelling. The information and data can then be used as a basis for establishing collision rates more directly, which will help in the planning of new offshore wind farms. 

 using a combination of radar and camera technology, documenting seabird flight behaviour at a larger scale around the turbines. 

A stakeholder advisory panel has been formed to provide advice and input during the course of the project, including experts from the RSPB, Marine Scotland Science, NatureScot, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Exciting progress has already been made with lots of data on seabird movements coming in and validation trials successfully completed both offshore, with an observer present, and onshore, with a drone. The project will be presented at the Conference on Wind energy and Wildlife impacts (CWW) next week and final results are expected early next summer.

Jesper Kyed Larsen, Bioscience Expert at Vattenfall, said:

“This exciting, collaborative project is the first of its kind to validate camera technologies for 3D tracking of seabirds in the immediate vicinity of offshore wind turbines. Having well understood high quality data is key to providing the evidence base we need to protect seabirds and plan the offshore wind farms of the future which are vital in the fight against climate change.”

Andrew Watts, VP Partnerships and Innovation at Spoor said:

“We’re delighted to partner with Vattenfall and the British Trust for Ornithology on this project. As a DeepTech Biodiversity company it is essential to work closely with renewable energy developers, Confidentiality: C2 - Internal scientists, government agencies and ENGOs to speed up technology adoption and deployment, so we can make the biggest impact on protecting wildlife populations and accelerating the rollout of clean energy.”

Aonghais Cook, Principal Ecologist for Renewable Energy at BTO said:

“We’re really excited to be working with Spoor and Vattenfall on this project. Collecting high quality data as part of projects like this is key to ensuring that we can build developments like offshore wind farms, which are a key part of efforts to minimise the impact of climate change, in a way that does not exacerbate the challenges faced by our internationally important seabird populations. This is particularly important given many species are undergoing significant declines in response to both climate change, and other pressures like Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).”

Spoor

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Sifted

Nysnø Climate Investments (Nysnø), Ørsted, and Wiski Capital have invested in Spoor AI, a Norwegian deeptech startup which uses Artificial Intelligence to monitor, track and protect birdlife in offshore wind farms. With an R&D agreement in place, Ørsted, ranked the world’s most sustainable energy company, will actively partner with Spoor, supporting the company in setting the offshore wind industry’s technical and quality standards for bird monitoring.


The one-and-a-half-year-old company has raised NOK 24 million, and is now experiencing substantial commercial traction in a rapidly growing market. The three co-founders retain control of the company as it enters the next scaling phase.

"We are delighted to receive this direct investment from Ørsted, the world’s largest offshore wind developer, as well as our other investors who are pioneers in deep-tech, impact, and sustainability investing. It is a clear signal of confidence in Spoor and the potential of our technology. This investment will accelerate the development of our software, the rollout speed on existing windfarms, and enable new projects to include the highest standard of AI-based bird monitoring from day one."

Spoor is a rapidly-growing Norwegian AI startup which already has multiple projects installed offshore with major renewables developers.

Spoor aims to set the standard for the ecologically responsible development and operation of offshore windfarms.

Spoor’s mission is to enable industry and nature to coexist.

The three co-founders met during the Antler OSL2 program. Antler has followed their original investment in this round, as well.

Spoor has developed highly-advanced, patent-pending, AI software for monitoring and tracking birdlife within windfarms.

Spoor’s technology gives developers and operators access to critically important data on bird activity in their windfarms, enabling better planning and operating decisions to protect birdlife and achieve environmental compliance.

The Spoor AI system can be trained to identify site-specific endangered/protected bird species.

The rapid global rollout of offshore wind is essential for the transition from fossil fuels, but it must be carried out in ways which minimise negative impacts on marine ecology. Effective and efficient methods for the capturing of data on bird activity assists in accelerating the energy transition and meeting global net-zero goals by streamlining the data collection process on birdlife.

"As governments around the world ramp up ambitious plans to grow offshore wind energy capacity, and to curb climate change, it’s imperative that we continually improve our understanding of bird behaviour, so we can design and build wind farms that actively deliver net-positive biodiversity outcomes."

"Spoor’s technology will help us better understand how different species of birds behave at and around offshore wind farms. It’s also an exciting example of how agile, entrepreneurial companies can deliver high-impact innovation when supported with knowledge sharing and investment by key industry players."

Benjamin Sykes, Vice President and Head of Ørsted’s global centre of environmental expertise

"Spoor is an attractive company that has shown a fast and impressive technology development while also gaining access to important players in the wind energy industry. Going forward, we expect to see expansion of wind energy projects globally, which will demand in-depth knowledge about the environmental impacts, including bird life. Spoor can be a crucial player to make sure the necessary measures are initiated."

"Spoor is led by a forward-looking team with relevant experience, and we therefore believe that the company is well rigged to turn a solid product into profitable growth in an expanding wind energy market."

Guro Skjæveland, Senior Associate, Nysnø.

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs, and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, renewable hydrogen and green fuels facilities, and bioenergy plants. Moreover, Ørsted provides energy products to its customers. Ørsted is the only energy company in the world with a science-based net-zero emissions target as validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Ørsted ranks as the world’s most sustainable energy company in Corporate Knights' 2022 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action.

Established in 2017, Nysnø Climate Investments (Nysnø) is a state-owned company that invests in companies and funds with profitable and smart solutions to reduce green-house gas emissions. With 2,9 billion NOK in assets under management Nysnø invests within clean energy, digital and enabling technologies, resource efficiency, sustainable demand, and the circular economy. Nysnø is based in Stavanger and owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry & Fisheries.

Wiski Capital's mission is to make a positive difference for technology entrepreneurs in Norway, making active investments in seed and early-growth phase startups. The fund is well known for backing successful tech-startups such as Tibber and Easee, addressing challenges within the renewable energy sector.

Norrsken Foundation, the Swedish impact hub created by Klarna cofounder Niklas Adalberth, invests in impact-driven tech startups from seed to Series A.

The global venture capital firm invests globally in companies at the pre-seed stage, and intends to now provide continued support investing up to Series C.

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