Vineyard Wind tries “bubble curtain” system to reduce pile driving noise

Vineyard Wind is trialing bubble curtain technology to reduce underwater noise pollution from piling in the installation of wind turbine foundations. ThayerMahan, a survey company, will provide acoustic mitigation services using the Hydrotechnik-Luebeck “Big Bubble Curtain” technology with $5m in funding from Vineyard Wind’s Industry Accelerator Fund, operated by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. ThayerMahan will relocate its headquarters for this product line to New Bedford to support the project. The bubble curtain system is expected to reduce noise outside the curtain by 90%, according to a European contractor who uses the technology.

Vineyard Wind is the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the US and will generate enough electricity to power 400,000 Massachusetts homes. The installation of the offshore cables began in November 2022, and the first power feed-in to the grid is scheduled for later this year. Klaus S. Moeller, CEO of Vineyard Wind, said the agreement with ThayerMahan was the first step in providing US firms with experience in the new industry and would set the stage for rapid expansion, particularly in New Bedford, the company’s hometown.

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