California is developing a smart mooring line to detect whale entanglements

Representative Image of a floating wind turbine monitored by fibre optic cables in deep ocean waters (AI-generated image) California's push into offshore wind energy faces a problem most coastal states never had to solve. The state's strongest winds sit far from shore in water too deep for turbines fixed to the seafloor, meaning any large-scale project has to rely on floating structures instead. Floating turbines bring their own headaches, since constant wave motion, shifting tidal loads and long distances from land make routine inspection and maintenance slow and expensive. Researchers are now trying to turn one part of that same structure into the solution. With funding from the California Energy Commission, a team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is developing a smart mooring line fitted with fibre optic sensors that can monitor a turbine's structural health while also listening for whale calls and detecting the moment a whale becomes entangled nearby.Why floating wind turbines need a different kind of monitoringMost offshore wind farms built so far, including those along the American Atlantic coast, sit in shallow enough water to use fixed bottom foundations anchore...