Background
NEREIS Environnement is an engineering company specializing in acoustics and fishing based in Carquefou. It was selected in the 4th FORESEA call for funding. This is the first project in this programme to be hosted by the Centrale Nantes offshore test site, SEM-REV.
The FORESEA programme is helping SMEs to test their Marine Renewable Energy technologies at sea under real conditions, by providing access to the network of test sites in North-West Europe, including the SEM-REV site. It is funded by the Interreg North West Europe programme, which is part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
This project to monitor the environment of a Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) production site required that an autonomous tool for recording underwater sounds and storing data at sea be installed. Specific spectral analysis modules and detection algorithms will be used to characterize the ambient noise by classifying its various components.
Scientific advances and innovation
An innovative demonstrator, including a standalone acoustic recorder from the manufacturer OSEAN, and 3 acoustic recorders were installed on the SEM-REV sea site. The conditions at sea were ideal ensuring a smooth installation.
Expected technical and economic impact
The data collected will be used to model the acoustic footprint of underwater noise in order to estimate the impact of MRE activities on marine fauna.
Key project milestones
- April 12, 2018 - Launching of the demonstrator