Assessing the feasibility of painting offshore wind turbine blades as a mitigation for seabird collisions

Defra wishes to commission a project to further understand the feasibility and practicalities of painting turbine blades, giving regard to commercial feasibility and the risk of unintended consequences. Some potential issues have been identified previously in discussions with offshore wind developers and others have been reported anecdotally. These are set out in more detail below.

This project will need to consider these issues in detail, as well as any other concerns that are raised by any technical experts, offshore wind developers and ornithologists consulted during the project.

Aim:

To conduct a desk-based evidence review, supplemented by stakeholder interviews and discussions, to investigate the feasibility and practicalities of painting turbine blades as a mitigation for seabird collisions.

Scope:

Throughout the duration of the project, the supplier should consider two types of patterning:

(1) the patterning recommended by Martin (2022), and (2) the painting of a single blade black (as used by May et al 2020).

The project should also consider the applicability of turbine painting to both floating and fixed wind turbines, recognising not just the physical differences in the turbine structures but also the differing depth and distance from shore associated with floating vs fixed turbines.