Aalborg University is joining a consortium of European institutions from 11 countries to develop new digital decision-making tools aimed at improving offshore wind planning and reducing challenges caused by fragmented marine data.
The initiative will establish a shared data platform and a suite of digital tools to help identify suitable sites for offshore wind farms while balancing environmental, social and economic considerations.
“In this project, we are bridging the gap between data, models, and the concrete needs of stakeholders involved in offshore wind expansion,” said Ivar Lyhne, associate professor at the Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment and project leader at Aalborg University.
The Danish team, collaborating with Denmark’s Environmental Portal, turbine manufacturer Vestas, and other European partners, will integrate best practices into a unified cross-border planning framework.
According to the university, the tools will compile data and analyses on issues such as wildlife protection, fishing activity and material use, with the aim of reducing uncertainty and avoiding project delays.
Lone Kørnøv, professor and head of research at the Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment, said: “We are very excited that, with our tradition of interdisciplinary projects, we now have the opportunity to develop solutions that bring together a range of different decision-support tools into one unified overview.”
The platform will first be tested in the North Sea before expanding to the Baltic and Atlantic regions. Prototype tools are expected to be ready in 2027, with testing scheduled for 2028.
