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Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind start marine mammal challenge

By: Tom Russell 12/08/2020 Greentown Lab

General Windfarms

Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind have selected three startups for the Offshore Wind Challenge. The startups will focus on innovations in marine mammal monitoring through data collection, real-time transmission, and analysis.

The Challenge, run by Vineyard Wind and Greentown Labs with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), received more than 60 applications. After a recruitment and deliberation process, the partners have announced that the following three companies have been selected to participate in the Offshore Wind Challenge and apply their technologies to near, real-time marine mammal detection:

SICdrone, based in Massachusetts, builds offshore-capable aerial drone systems that can fly in harsh weather conditions, eliminating weather delays for critical inspection and monitoring at sea.
Night Vision Technology Solutions, based in Rhode Island, is a high-technology provider of thermal and visible camera systems designed for offshore wind, search and rescue, threat detection, and situational awareness.
Open Ocean Robotics, based in British Columbia, makes it cheaper, easier, and safer to understand oceans using solar-powered, self-driving boats that travel oceans for months at a time while collecting ocean data.

Based at Greentown Labs, which is headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, the Offshore Wind Challenge is a six-month accelerator programme focused on providing entrepreneurs with the connections and business and technical resources they need to commercialise their technologies. In addition to receiving direct support from Vineyard Wind and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the Challenge also draws on the knowledge and expertise of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the New England Aquarium.

Vineyard Wind is developing Vineyard Wind 1, an 804 MW project that is expected to power roughly 400,000 homes in Massachusetts. In January 2019, it signed a conservation agreement with National Wildlife Federation, and the Conservation Law Foundation to protect North Atlantic right whales and other marine species that live off the north-east coast.

"We take our responsibility as 'first movers' in the U.S. offshore wind industry very seriously and are always looking for ways to implement new technologies that reduce impacts to the environment and marine life," said Lars T. Pedersen, CEO of Vineyard Wind. "We're grateful to Greentown Labs for their partnership and to all of the applicants for their work and passion. We look forward to seeing the development of these technologies and how they can assist our work and mission."

Over the next six months, the startups participating in the Offshore Wind Challenge will be supported with mentoring, networking opportunities, educational workshops, and partnership-focused programming through Greentown Launch, Greentown Labs' flagship corporate partnerships accelerator platform. Within this framework, the Offshore Wind Challenge aims to help startups explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind, including piloting their technologies in Vineyard Wind's Massachusetts lease waters. Furthermore, participants will receive Greentown Labs membership for the duration of the program.

"We're thrilled to receive more than 60 applications from around the world and we are excited to support the three selected startups as they work alongside experts from Vineyard Wind, MassCEC, and other leading organizations in the marine and offshore wind industries," said Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs. "The success of the burgeoning offshore wind industry is critical to our progress toward a decarbonized future, and the Offshore Wind Challenge will drive the development and ultimate deployment of new innovations that will simultaneously protect marine life in our oceans and accelerate the new industry's growth on the U.S. East Coast, and beyond."

According to the pragramme, all participants will receive:

Acceptance into Greentown Launch, a six-month partnerships acceleration programme for startups, hosted at
Greentown Labs, the largest climatetech incubator in North America
A structured platform to explore potential partnership outcomes with Vineyard Wind
Exclusive access to the Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind networks
Funding and access to MassCEC's New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal for ocean validation of technologies
Greentown Labs membership for the duration of the six-month accelerator program
Mentorship, networking opportunities, and partnership-focused programming from the Greentown Labs ecosystem of cleantech and climatetech startup experts
Access to mentorship from the world's leading offshore wind engineers, scientists, and permitting specialists
Access to various offshore wind organizations and suppliers

The Offshore Wind Challenge will feature over 40 hours of intensive business training, hands-on mentorship from industry experts, and a unique model of startup-and-corporate relationship building. The Offshore Wind Challenge partners will host a final showcase in 2021 to share startup progress, accomplishments, and successful results of working closely with Vineyard Wind, Greentown Labs, and MassCEC throughout the programme.

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Greentown Labs and Vineyard Wind start marine mammal challenge

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