ECOncrete’s cable protection solution deployed at Vineyard Wind

  • Local contractors deployed ECOncrete ecologically engineered articulated concrete block mattresses (ACBMs) as cable protection at Vineyard Wind
  • Vineyard Wind 1 is the first commercial-scale offshore wind energy initiative in the United States.
  • Marine mattresses are specifically designed for cable protection while offering cost-effective ecosystem services.

Local contractors deployed ECOncrete ecologically engineered articulated concrete block mattresses (ACBMs) as cable protection at Vineyard Wind, marking a significant milestone as the first commercial-scale offshore wind energy initiative in the United States. This pioneering project is situated more than 15 miles off the Massachusetts coast (OCS-A 0501). The project will generate clean, renewable, affordable energy for over 400,000 homes and businesses across the Commonwealth while reducing carbon emissions by over 1.6 million tons per year.

The Marine Mattresses used at Vineyard Wind 1 include ECOncrete bio-enhancing admixture, surface complexity, and a nature-inclusive design optimized for creating habitats for a wide range of organisms. They are fabricated to prevent scouring, weathering, and erosion and to provide stabilization and protection to offshore infrastructures.

ECOncrete’s marine mattresses are designed to create a variety of habitats and environmental conditions that encourage the growth of marine flora and fauna, increase species richness, reduce the dominance of invasive species, and boost biodiversity. ECOncrete’s patented  technology complies with key requirements of the use of natural or engineered stone that does not inhibit epibenthic growth and provides three-dimensional complexity.

In projects requiring a specific designed system to shield cables in hard bottom seabed from long-term damage due to factors like fatigue, excessive bending, and abrasion, especially in ecologically significant areas with vital marine communities and biodiversity, ECOncrete has proven its ability to fulfill a dual role. It serves as both conventional cable protection and a source of cost-effective ecosystem services.

Map showing location of Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm 

This use of ECOncrete’s offshore technology in Vineyard Wind 1 follows the successful deployment of marine mattresses in Red Eléctrica de España (REE – the Spanish national grid) Ecological Subsea Cable Protection project in Canary Island. This collaboration with Red Eléctrica applied ECOncrete’s cable protection solutions to stabilize a subsea interconnector between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, to enable greater energy transmission. Recent monitoring showed biodiversity uplift along the cable route only 10 months post-deployment. Vineyard Wind 1 utilizes the same principle with additional design features adapted to fit technical requirements and local environment needs.

As a result of ECOncrete’s three-pillar technology, organisms like oysters, corals, or barnacles thrive upon it. This biological colonization offers protective benefits, enhancing the strength and durability of structures adding to their stability and longevity in a process called bioprotection.

New research by the Observer Research Foundation, forging a Nature-Positive Energy Transition, states that to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Renewable energy, together with energy efficiency and Nature-Based Solutions, form the cornerstone of the world’s climate change mitigation strategy. Deploying more offshore wind turbines around the globe, constructed using Nature-based Solutions, is essential to square the energy trilemma (sustainability, security, and affordability) in a way that is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There are concerns over the development of offshore infrastructure harming sensitive marine ecosystems during the construction phase and lifetime operation. ECOncrete’s technology offers a viable solution by working with nature to improve the interaction between wind farms and natural ecosystems. ECOncrete’s scientifically based bio-enhancing solutions are recognized by the Business Network for Offshore Wind as best practice for offshore wind development.

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ECOncrete joins BNOW to help deliver ecological offshore wind revolution

ECOncrete joins prestigious Business Network for Offshore Wind to help deliver ecological offshore wind revolution

  • Acceptance into the Business Network for Offshore Wind confirms ECOncrete’s scientifically backed bio-enhancing solutions as best practice for offshore wind development
  • ECOncrete recent offshore projects include deployment of ECOncrete Articulated Concrete Mattresses for ecological cable protection for Vineyard Wind
  • Biodiversity uplift generated by ECOncrete subsea cable protection demonstrated with monitoring findings in Atlantic Ocean project.

Monday 10 July 2023, ECOncrete today announced it has been accepted as a member of the prestigious US Business Network for Offshore Wind (BNOW).

The influential and respected BNOW’s mission is to develop the US offshore wind renewable energy industry and its supply chain.  The network partners with industry and government to build an innovative value chain to create and sustain jobs, benefiting local economies and to ensure the development of a cost-effective clean energy portfolio.

Being accepted into BNOW is a significant vote of confidence in ECOncrete’s scientifically proven, bio-enhancing nature-based solutions for offshore wind foundation and subsea cable protection solutions.

This acceptance into BNOW comes as local contractors are on site at Vineyard Wind 1 getting ready to deploy ECOncrete articulated concrete mattresses as construction gets underway.

The construction of Vineyard Wind 1 signals the beginning of US offshore wind revolution propelled by the US Government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 2022 and Infrastructure Law 2021.  The IRA appropriated USD$369 billion in new clean energy funding, including billions in tax credits for offshore wind manufacturing.   These measures put the US on a trajectory to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030.

In recent months the biodiversity uplift that ECOncrete’s subsea cable protection solutions provide was demonstrated when monitoring was carried out along a subsea interconnector cable between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands.  Visual findings showed diverse marine wildlife flourishing along the cable in less than a year post-installation.

ECOncrete will shortly be publishing monitoring results for biodiversity uplift at its Port of Vigo, Malaga and San Diego projects.

ECOncrete CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Ido Sella, says: “We are privileged to be part of the offshore industry supply chain in the US and Europe and play a full part in the offshore wind journey with ECOncrete’s bio-enhancing concrete technology that supports marine ecosystems uplift and biodiversity net gain.  Providing the industry with applicable solutions for sustainable subsea cable protection and anti scouring systems is crucial in supporting needed ecosystem services ”.

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Port of Vigo’s new ECOncrete infrastructure already teeming with life three months after installation

Living Ports Project led by ECOncrete includes bio-enhancing seawalls and coastal protection system, as well as a first of its kind underwater observatory, enabling the public to watch the marine ecosystems thrive.

  • ECOncrete nature positive marine technology is integrated by local contractors, using locally sourced concrete
  • The biodiversity performance generated by ECOncrete’s patented technology exceeds all other ecological infrastructure solutions currently in use

Monday 22 May 2023, Port of Vigo, Spain – Only three months after its official opening the ground-breaking Living Ports Project, is already coming to life.

Newly released underwater monitoring data, reveals thriving ecosystems on the innovative infrastructure integrating ECOncrete’s unique and environmentally friendly technology, at the Port of Vigo. This achievement is a part of the Living Ports Project.

Just three months after installation, marine life is flourishing along the seawalls made with the bio-enhancing ECOncrete technology that significantly reduces the ecological footprint of the port, and provides biodiversity uplift.

Various forms of marine species including green and brown algae; barnacles; crabs; limpets; worms; sea cucumbers; snails; starfish and tunicates are now living on the Port of Vigo seawalls made with ECOncrete.  These images demonstrate a significant ecological uplift in comparison to standard marine structures.

At the moment, 70 percent of marine infrastructure world-wide is  concrete based, which is not habitable for many types of marine organisms and requires expensive maintenance – to the tune of around EUR€2.2 trillion per year.  By incorporating ECOncrete’s nature-positive technology into local concrete, a highly effective biodiversity performance can be achieved, which not only promotes ecological sustainability but also reinforces and strengthen the structures.

The Living Ports Project lead  by ECOncrete , and delivered by an interdisciplinary consortium that includes Cardama Shipyards and Denmark Technical University (DTU), and the Port of Vigo is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.  The Project, inaugurated in March 2023 showcases the next generation of port infrastructure, and responsible marine construction methodologies.

ECOncrete CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Ido Sella, says: “These new monitoring and underwater camera footage are incredible.  In just three short months, this Living Ports Project at the Port of Vigo has become exactly that – a living port, teeming with healthy marine life.

“These undersea images are another evidence of ECOncrete’s technology ability to attract and foster marine biodiversity and support vibrant ecosystems in working waterfronts.”

The head of the Sustainability Department of the Port of Vigo and coordinator of the project, Carlos Botana, says “I’m very pleased with the daily evolution of the submarine biodiversity that has been thriving in the infrastructure promoted by ECOncrete, installed in the Port of Vigo”. “The amount of life that has generated is surprising”, he assured “and it is still early days”, as, “in the coming months, the new marine ecosystems will keep flourishing and promoting the biodiversity in the Port of Vigo”.

 

Media enquiries: media@econcretetech.com

Business enquiries: https://econcretetech.com/contact/

 

Webinar: Marine Biodiversity and Offshore Wind Infrastructure

On April 20, 2023, a panel of European industry experts, hosted by ECOncrete’s Ido Sella, discussed the impact of offshore wind on the marine environment. The recording of the full webinar is now available below and on our ECOncrete Youtube channel.

Watch the webinar now to gain insights on management of environmental risks (benthic habitats and species, pelagic fauna, etc), design of mitigation measures, long time monitoring, and regulatory challenges:

 


Click here to watch on Youtube >≫

 

Webinar panelists

Remment ter Hofstede

Remment is a Marine Ecologist at Van Oord – Windenergy. With 20 years’ proven experience and an impressive track record in constructing offshore wind projects, Van Oord is leading the way in the transition towards renewable energy, changing the offshore environment, and dealing with the opportunities and risks in relation with new offshore wind development projects and associated evolving requirements.

 

Katarina Halldén

Katarina, Environmental Lawyer and Head of Business Development and Environmental Protection, at Seatower , is addressing legal and regulatory challenges and ecological requirements for Offshore Wind. Seatower designs gravity foundations for offshore wind turbines and substations.

 

Marina Beltri Muñoz

Marina is a Biologist and Senior Marine Consultant at Tecnoambiente. She specializes  in biodiversity and marine conservation and management, and will share insights and experience from her practice at Tecnoambiente.
Tecnoambiente is an environmental consultancy with its own accredited laboratory. In addition to onshore advisory services, Tecnoambiente is specialized in the marine environment and offshore projects.

 

More Webinars hosted by ECOncrete:

Next generation of port infrastructure opens at the Port of Vigo

Living Ports Project, the next generation of port infrastructure led by ECOncrete, goes live at the Port of Vigo

  • ‘Beacon of hope’ Living Ports Project uses ECOncrete’s revolutionary ecological concrete that stores carbon and encourages biodiversity – paving the way for net positive marine infrastructure
  • ECOncrete is leading the Living Ports Project, delivered by an interdisciplinary consortium that includes Port of Vigo, Cardama Shipyards and Denmark Technical University (DTU), and funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program
  • Innovative initiative includes an underwater observatory, enabling people to watch ecosystems grow and thrive

Monday 27 March 2023, Port of Vigo, Spain – The ground-breaking Living Ports Project, the next generation of port infrastructure, officially opened on Friday 24 March – leading the way for greener marine construction.

The Living Ports Project, showcasing the next generation of port infrastructure at the Port of Vigo, is an ECOncrete lead project, delivered by an interdisciplinary consortium that includes Cardama Shipyards and Denmark Technical University (DTU), and was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

This ECOncrete project serves as a blueprint for sustainable port infrastructure globally:  A beacon for marine infrastructure developers to be net postive and help in the global journey to net zero. The innovative initiative transforms coastal and marine infrastructure by combining structural, environmental and socio-economic benefits.

Currently, 70 per cent of coastal infrastructure is built with traditional concrete.  The smooth surfaces of seawalls built with traditional concrete are not habitable for marine organisms and require expensive maintenance – estimated to be around €2.2 trillion per year worldwide.  ECOncrete’s revolutionary concrete stores carbon and encourages biodiversity – paving the way for net positive marine infrastructure.

A key component of the Living Ports Project is the Nautilus underwater observatory, which opened to the public on 24 March. Named in homage to Captain Nemo’s submarine in Jules Verne’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under The Sea’, the observatory will offer visitors a unique experience of witnessing first-hand the development of biodiversity on ECOncrete seawalls.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, ECOncrete CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Ido Sella, said: “I’m honored and proud to be here today to launch and celebrate our Living Ports Project coming to life. It has been a real team effort.  Talented and committed people, from different disciplines, have worked together towards a common net positive goal which this global beacon of hope guides us towards.”

— ENDS —

About ECOncrete

ECOncrete is a leading innovator in the field of ecological marine infrastructure, offering bio-enhancing concrete solutions for coastal and marine construction projects. By combining research, design, and cutting-edge technology, ECOncrete promotes sustainable development and supports the growth of marine biodiversity.

www.econcretetech.com.

Living Ports Project – The next generation of port infrastructure

Living Ports is a collaboration of four partners led by ECOncrete® Tech to showcase an industry level ecological alternative to traditional concrete infrastructure. ECOncrete’s nature-inclusive-design technology spans two sites at the port of Vigo.​ The project also includes biology research carried out by DTU and an underwater observatory delivered by Cardama Shipyard.

https://www.livingports.eu

 

For press enquiries please contact:

media@econcretetech.com

econcrete@impactandinfluence.global

 

 

 

 

Scour Protection – From Rocks to Ecological Concrete

When a structure, like an offshore wind turbine and tower, is placed offshore, the structure causes local eddies and an increase of the current and wave motions. This fast-flowing water stirs sand and sediment particles, picks them up and transports them away from the structure, creating a hole around the structure. This phenomenon is called scour.

Undersea cables carry electricity from the offshore wind farms back to the mainland where it is needed.  They also carry the vast majority of all intercontinental communication. Subsea cables are vulnerable to many corrosive and erosive forces – both natural and manmade – including particulate scour from currents and sea water egress.

When talking to regulators and decision makers about wind turbine foundations an early query is why not just use ‘natural’ (i.e., quarried) rocks to address this issue rather than concrete?

‘Natural’ rock commonly used for scour protection is not ‘natural’ to the marine environment. The natural rocks’ texture, shape and chemical composition deter marine organisms from adhering and forming habitat niches. Introduction of these materials is usually associated with invasive species and low biodiversity.

Droplock units are manufactured on-site and deployed by any standard vessel.

ECOncrete scour and cable protection solutions provide a unique range of commercial and ecological benefits. ECOncrete’s Droplock Scour Protection is the result of a two-year  R&D project to provide offshore wind projects with ecologically advanced scour protection. Design and engineering commenced in May 2021 and is funded by the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy Foundation with the participation of the US Department of Energy.

ECOncrete’s bio-enhancing concrete technology has been extensively researched and tested in the past 10 years in various environments and over 40 projects. Results on the positive ecological benefits and superior structural performance were published in numerous studies and peer-reviewed papers, both in academia and by third party laboratories.

  • ECOncrete’s Droplocks made from bio-enhancing concrete attract marine organisms and plants – quickly producing a vibrant, net positive, marine ecosystem.
  • ECOncrete Droplocks are manufactured on-site by local workforce. This creates investment into the local economy AND reduces the risks and costs associated with sourcing and transporting traditional rock material. Carbon capture and storage can be applied readily to further reduce the ecological footprint of the solution.
  • Any standard scour protection installation vessel, labor and equipment procedures can be used to deploy the Droplock. The Droplock units integrate ECOncrete’s proven, patented, bio-enhancing admixture, surface complexity and overall design optimized for habitat creation for a wide range of organisms.
  • The Droplock units are designed to interlock, to reduce the foundation’s scour protection footprint on the seafloor compared to rock and to minimize the total material required, while creating ecological habitat opportunities. The reduced footprint and resources benefit the project’s ecological and economic bottom line.

ECOncrete articulated concrete block mattresses.

To examine the ecological and structural performance of the Droplock to natural rock, over 1000 metric tons of bio-enhancing Droplock and rock-material for scour protection were deployed off Long Island, NY, more than 100ft deep in October 2022. The Droplock is currently undergoing ecological monitoring for the next two years, to set new standards in responsible marine construction. Periodic remote operated vehicle (ROV) imaging and observation provides results of biological colonization and structural properties.

Independent regulators and validators, such as the Nature Conservancy (Nature-Based Designs for Augmenting Offshore Wind in the United States); Nature England (Scour and Cable Protection Decommissioning Report); and the Government of the Netherlands (Nature-Inclusive Design for Offshore Wind) recommend ECOncrete’s patented admix and technology, for its nature-based designs and the ability to enhance biodiversity and ecosystems.

Droplock scour protection is designed to outperform rock and create habitat for a diverse ecosystem.

 

ECOncrete endorses Waterfront Alliance WEDG principles

ECOncrete is proud to be among the first companies to take the WEDG pledge and commit to resilient, accessible, and healthy waterfronts. Using ecological concrete reinforces structural durability, while also enhancing habitat opportunities for local species that improve coastal resilience.

The Waterfront Alliance’s Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) provides an independent rating system and guidelines to address responsible waterfront development. (https://wedg.waterfrontalliance.org/about/). WEDG’s guidance inspires projects to incorporate nature-based design elements and hybrid solutions to preserve community access and ecological integrity. These pillars and a multidisciplinary approach allow WEDG to strategically evaluate a project’s need without compromising surrounding  environmental assets. The organization’s ethos for resilience, sustainability and access fuse the priorities for practical design that complements nature.

One of the first WEDG certified projects was at Brooklyn Bridge Park, which featured ECOncrete. Using ecological concrete reinforces structural durability, while also enhancing habitat opportunities for local species that improve coastal resilience.

Specifying ECOncrete into projects complies with WEDG accreditations to balance and support access, resiliency, and ecology. ECOncrete falls under different categories in the WEDG Manual Guidelines including  ecological enhanced structural components and  Natural Resources Categories*.  ECOncrete is already applying several aspects of WEDG guidelines as its innovative technology helps to maintain and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services, restore and increase ecosystem complexity, support native habitat complexity, foster resilient energy sources, practice environmentally-responsible construction, as ECOncrete also partners with academic and scientific institutes to study or monitor the site.

Having biologically sound structural components allows maritime ports and harbors to have the strength of steel but with all the natural benefits. Learn more about ECOncrete’s project examples, and how we bring concrete to life.

*credit 3.4, ecological enhanced structural components / Natural Resources Categories under credits 4.1- 4.3, 4.7-4.8, 4.1

Life on concrete is thriving in the Port of Malaga

In April 2022, a new pier was installed in the IGY Marina, Port of Malaga. ECOncrete was selected to mitigate the pier’s ecological impact, and the technology was seamlessly integrated by the local contractor in standard concrete casting procedure. ECOncrete’s unique nature-based design and concrete admix benefits biodiversity and improves the durability of marine structures.

9 months post-installation, biodiversity has started developing at speed, local species are seen proliferating on the top part of the structure that is using ECOncrete technology; fanworms, calcerous sponges, snakelocks anemones and brown algae have already been identified* by our biologists so far.

Besides the direct and indirect benefits of biodiversity developing, research shows ECOncrete improves carbon sequestration, due to the growth of calcifying organisms capturing CO2. At the same time, the balanced ecosystem developing on the concrete surface creates a protective layer, extending the useful life of the infrastructure.

Biodiversity developing on new concrete pier applying ECOncrete technology at IGY Marina, Malaga, Spain

“We believe that it is possible to reconnect with our coast and build our ports and marine infrastructure in a more responsible way”, says Ido Sella, CEO founder of ECOncrete. “We provide a solution in which the environment and the infrastructures themselves win.”

Traditional concrete used on bottom part of the structure: little to no colonization.

This is one of many projects in Spain where ECOncrete Technology is applied to provide an ecological uplift of marine infrastructures –  in the ports of Malaga, Vigo and Cala Rajada (the first time, in Spain, in which the bidding document for a work in a marine infrastructure required compensatory measures such as the use of ecological concrete) and in the protection of the submarine cable between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

* (sabella sp, leuconia sp., anemonia viridis, dictyota dichotoma)

 

Project Details: IGY Malaga Marina Pier

 

ECOncrete wins US National Energy Globe award

ECOncrete recently received the National Energy Globe Award for the COASTALOCK technology through a partnership with the Port of San Diego. 

“COASTALOCK is the trifecta we love: carbon sequestration, smaller footprint, while at the same time, providing resilience.” – John Jason H. Giffen, Vice President Port of San Diego.

The CoastaLock ,the first ecologically designed armor unitfor coastal protection, was eco-engineered by ECOncrete as an alternative for the traditional coastal armor structures to address the structural requirements for coastal infrastructure, while promoting local biodiversity and ecosystems. It is designed with the ability to create water-retaining elements, overhangs, holes, and caves, which are absent in most urban waterfronts. Each armor unit is manufactured using a bio-enhancing concrete admixture which promotes the settlement of local marine organisms and increases compressive strength and impermeability of the concrete.

The project was launched in 2021 when a total of 74 CoastaLock units were installed replacing existing rock revetment in two different locations along San Diego Bay Harbor Island Park shoreline.

The results from the biological monitoring show development towards a richer, more diverse community compared to adjacent control rocks. The CoastaLock cavities constitute a newly introduced water-retaining habitat that was missing at the riprap rocks.

This new habitat enables the recruitment of multiple different species of algae and invertebrates that were absent on the outer surface of the CoastaLock,resulting in the establishment of a diverse marine community. This effect was increased in the upper row of the structure, thearea most affected by the tidal changes. The water-retaining feature enables the thriving of multiple marine organisms that could not inhabit the riprap rocks at the same tidal height.

The most prominent example is the algal community change; on the control rocks it was composed of nine species, highly dominated by the invasive red algae. On the CoastaLock units, the algal community included 13 species, comprised of green, red, brown, and coralline algae.

Furthermore, the addition of a new complex habitat able to support a diverse algal community has resulted in an enhancement of the recruitment of several invertebrate species at the CoastaLock units compared to the control rocks.nationalEnergyGlobe2022_UNITED STATES_winner_51

The Port of San Diego project is the demonstration that the coastal and marine construction industry, with the use of innovative technologies and materials, can achieve both structural and ecological goals when designing the coastal and port infrastructure of the future.