Often overlooked as a key service, Marine Coordination Centers (MCC) serve as the critical value-added service in the construction of offshore wind farms. MCC services at its core starts with a Software as a Service (SaaS) data collection and archiving system providing offshore wind developers with one database for integrating, coordinating, and collecting, the time and date for movements and record and certifications of people, equipment, vessels as well as mammal sightings throughout the wind farm area. MCC services are a very powerful and centralized source of real-time information that can provide clients with a snapshot the operations in their windfarm at any time.

A 1,000 Wind Turbines Planned in Next Decade

More than 1,000 offshore wind turbines, both fixed and floating, are planned to be erected in the United States over the next decade. During the average lifetime of a wind farm, the turbines will be visited more than 20 times per year. With 20,000 vessel journeys each year, traveling 10 to 45 miles offshore, exceeding current traffic levels, there will be a significant rise in industrial activity in our environmentally sensitive waters. The anticipated increase in activity on the outer continental shelf will require a dependable system for monitoring, reporting, and archiving vessel, and personnel movements within the windfarm as well as interactions with the maritime environment. When it comes to the marine environment, the focus is on how vessels and people interact with the ecosystem and protected species. The combination of software as a service (SaaS) and remote sensing technology allows for real-time monitoring of windfarm activities. Renewable Strategy offers a comprehensive solution for evaluating, tracking, documenting, and reporting the planned and unplanned activities throughout the lifecycle of the U.S. offshore wind sector.

Real-Time Surveillance

Given that the offshore wind industry's goal is to provide a clean and environmentally friendly source of electricity for society, the generators and electrical grid that transport the power to shore will be vulnerable to not only the natural hazards of the sea but also the intentions of bad actors. Renewable Strategy helps to protect generators and the grid from the waterborne natural environment through design and system hardening, utilizing real-time surveillance and early warning systems monitored by humans and technology. The RSL Manager software solution allows remote surveillance through a technical interface to the human watchstander. The RSL Manager has been installed on America's first commercial-scale wind farm.

Port facilities are an essential part of the infrastructure that allow vessels and people to work together to build and run the wind farms. In addition to offering a secure place to dock, offices, and warehouses, ports also serve as the initial point of departure for both people and vessels, making them an essential link in the supply chain. Consequently, any monitoring and surveillance center should be sited at or near port facilities. All equipment, personnel, and vessels must undergo thorough screening to guarantee they are medically fit, have the proper certificates, approvals, and safety training to board vessels, and carry out the essential services at the windfarm. The RSL Manager mobile application ensures that all equipment, machinery, workers, and vessels are granted entry to the windfarm and maintains a single database for documenting and tracking their whereabouts.

Impactful Data Utilization

At this point, data collection converts into real and impactful data utilization, boosting industry-wide efficiencies and supporting sustainability and agility. The marine industry has been hesitant to adopt big data and applied analytics due to perceived complexity and resource expenditure, making it difficult to engage all stakeholders. Implementing comprehensive software, such as RSL Manager, can help with the integration of large amounts of data for ports, wind farms, and turbine assets. Better access to quality data leads to better analysis and insight, and ultimately better decision-making, resulting in lower risk and a higher return on investment.

The cloud-based RSL Manager combines technical data streams to make sharing and documenting data simple. Clients of Renewable Strategy benefit from the system's audit trail, scalability, high availability, and flexibility. Wind farms, ports, and asset managers all require precise timing and agility in a changing environment. The RSL Manager offers a comprehensive solution for tracking component utilization throughout the project and lifecycle of the wind farm. From port to windfarm, optimizing people and personnel may prevent costly errors while keeping the blades rotating to generate clean and renewable energy.

Monitoring air pollution and ensuring sustainable marine management near wind farms and ports are also critical. From site selection to decommissioning, the RSL Manager monitors and reports on marine animal locations and environmental sightings and occurrences, providing complete system data. Tracing vessels entering and exiting wind farms using RSL's integrated technology solution automatically tracks air pollution. These ecological data collectors provide a reliable method for meeting compliance and reporting regulations in this expanding industry in the United States.

Finally, each marine coordination center serves as a focal point for all execution activities, ensuring safe and efficient administration. By deploying the RSL Manager alongside a team of marine coordination experts, the ports, people, and offshore wind farms can get access to the tools and skills required for effective collaboration, compliance, efficiency, and safety.

About Renewable Strategy
Renewable Strategy is an offshore wind and harbor management software solution, marine coordination, control room and advisory eco-system, with emphasis on integrated data solutions, project and compliance management, operations, and maintenance know-how. The technology platform is used by owners, operators, and contractors to harness data into strategic decision information.

For more information visit, www.renewablestrategy.com

About Liberty Green Logistics
Liberty Green Logistics provides full-service supply chain management solutions for the U.S. offshore wind industry through a consortium approach. Focused on building turnkey and integrative logistics from Factory to Farm, Liberty Green provides asset-based transportation and logistics as well as technology solutions and services. Liberty Green is a U.S. Jones Act qualified entity.

For more information visit, www.libertygreenlogistics.com