Revolutionary AI-Powered Underwater Vehicle Enhances Offshore Wind Farm Inspections
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Beam has deployed the world’s first AI-driven autonomous underwater vehicle for offshore wind farm inspections. The technology has already proved its effectiveness by inspecting jacket structures at Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, Seagreen—a joint venture between SSE Renewables, TotalEnergies, and PTTEP.
The AI-powered vehicle represents a significant leap forward in marine technology and underwater robotics. Capable of conducting complex underwater inspections without human intervention, it promises to dramatically enhance efficiency and drastically reduce costs associated with underwater surveys and inspections.
Traditionally, offshore wind site inspections have been manual, labour-intensive processes. Beam’s autonomous solution offers a significant shift from this model, allowing data to be streamed directly back to shore. This change enables offshore workers to focus on more demanding tasks while reducing inspection timelines by up to 50%, leading to substantial operational cost savings.
Brian Allen, CEO of Beam, stated: “We are immensely proud of launching the world’s first AI-driven autonomous underwater vehicle. This advancement in automation is set to transform the way offshore wind farms are inspected and maintained, ultimately cutting costs and timeframes.”
Beam’s innovative approach not only boosts efficiency but also enhances the quality of inspection data. It also enables the production of 3D models of structures combined with visual data. This initiative is a significant progression in Beam’s strategy for autonomous solutions, aiming for further integration of this technology into their DP2 ships, ROVs, and AUVs between 2025 and 2026.
“The future possibilities of this technology are immense for our industry, and achieving success in our initial endeavors is crucial for advancing and realizing our vision. This journey would not be possible without pioneering clients like SSE Renewables,” Allen added.
The Seagreen wind farm, which has been operational since October 2023, stands as the world’s deepest fixed-bottom offshore wind farm. Beam’s project at Seagreen has yielded vital insights into the capabilities of autonomous technologies in managing large offshore wind structures. The information gathered by the AI-operated vehicle is critical for maintaining continued operational reliability, providing key data on aspects like marine growth and erosion on foundations.
Matthew Henderson, Technical Asset Manager – Substructure and Asset Lifecycle at SSE Renewables, stated: “At SSE, our guiding principle is that if an activity is not safe, we do not proceed. The application of Beam’s technology illustrates that autonomous inspections can diminish the number of personnel required offshore for routine checks, enhance the speed of these operations, and amass comprehensive data that aids in asset integrity planning.”
“As we venture into more remote and deeper waters, the capability to gather superior inspection data safely becomes essential to achieving our Net Zero Acceleration Programme,” he added.
As Beam gears up to implement its AI-enabled inspection technology throughout its fleet over the years 2025 and 2026, this initiative is in line with the company’s aim to transform offshore wind operations by enhancing their efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This shift supports the broader global move towards sustainable energy.
The success of this AI-driven subaquatic vehicle at Seagreen wind farm showcases the vast potential of autonomous technologies in offshore wind inspections, establishing new benchmarks for safety, efficiency, and data quality in the sector. Such breakthroughs are vital for the enduring sustainability and economic feasibility of offshore wind energy.
See also: Hugging Face is launching an open robotics project
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