Windfarm research into dolphins and seabirds

A £3 million renewable energy study programme based in Scotland is set to shed new light on how the industry impacts the lives of dolphins and other sea life.

Swedish power company Vattenfall announced the first projects for its offshore wind research, looking at how the industry affects the environment.

It is believed to be the largest-scale offshore wind research programme of its kind.

The four selected projects will be based at the firm’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre in Aberdeen.

Three out of four projects sharing the £3m fund are based in Scotland. SMRU Consulting and the University of St Andrews are working towards improving the understanding of bottlenose dolphin movements along the east coast of Scotland.

Macarthur Green, based in Glasgow, will focus on reducing uncertainty in the future of auk seabirds near offshore wind farms.

The River Dee Trust and Marine Scotland Science study looks at the interactions between salmon and sea trout with offshore wind technology.

Meanwhile, Oxford Brookeswillinvestigatethe socio-economic impact of the energy source on the human environment.