What’s A Bubble Curtain?

A bubble curtain is now being worked on in Vineyard Wind, an offshore wind farm in Massachusetts. For those who are unaware, these contraptions are noise insulations installed underwater. These devices can reduce noise and vibrations in the water. Aside from that, they are in charge of absorbing the sound energy and creating a barrier that reflects sound waves back to the surface. 

The Vineyard Wind already has a primary bubble curtain. Called the 800 MW Vineyard Wind 1, the device was built by clean energy companies Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for $3.5 billion. 

The secondary bubble curtain will help further dispel the noise and soundwaves created when foundation structures such as monopiles or jacket foundations get driven into the seabed. This is because when these sounds are not dispelled, they can be harmful to marine life, such as fish, dolphins, and whales. The secondary bubble curtain will work with the primary device to further reduce the impact of noise and vibration. 

Learn more about bubble curtains here. 

Image credit: Vineyard Wind