WETO selects four small companies that will revolutionize wind energy innovation

Selected WETO projects include:

Integrated Sea Buoys for Real-Time Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Birds, Bats and Whales Using Neural Networks

Loggerhead Instruments Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.) will develop buoys equipped with neural network sensors that can identify North Atlantic right whales (NARW) and migrating birds and bats in real time, enabling safer construction and operation of wind farms.

Integrated system for monitoring and protection of fisheries and marine mammals

Scientific Solutions, Inc. (Portland, ME) will equip fishing boats with sensors to collect detailed ocean and marine life data. The data will help create accurate models of ocean and acoustic conditions. The system will also assess the impacts of wind energy projects, support tidal power development, prevent whale entanglements and ship strikes, and improve undersea monitoring, transforming how coastal oceans are managed and protected.

New bird and bat species identification system for wildlife risk assessment in offshore wind energy sector Grades

Sightir Inc. (Santa Barbara, Calif.) will assist government agencies and wind energy developers in approving, building and operating offshore wind farms that are less harmful to endangered birds and bats.

WETO and the Electricity Office selected the following STTR design:

Compact Sodium Battery-Based Energy Storage System for Wind Energy Integration

Adena Power, LLC (Lewis Center, OH) in collaboration with The Ohio State University (OSU) and Accelerate Wind, this system will accelerate development of Adena’s solid-state sodium battery technology and evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of integrating it with wind energy resources to create a hybrid wind energy storage system.