Vattenfall plans to use cameras to improve the count of bird casualties in offshore wind farms by conducting a study at Hollandse Kust wind farm in the Netherlands.
At the moment, theoretical models are used to estimate the number of victims but there are little actual observations to base those models on, Vattenfall.
Every year, many millions of birds migrate across the North Sea during the spring and autumn migration.
It is very difficult to verify whether the fatality estimates created by theoretical models are correct, because carcasses will fall in the sea and drift away, according to the Swedish developer.
Vattenfall believes cameras can help to keep track of the number of bird victims.
The technology has been used at onshore wind farms before, but it is the first time the cameras will be deployed offshore, it added.
Jesper Kyed Larsen, bioscience expert at Vattenfall, said: “It will greatly benefit both the wind industry and nature conservation to better understand the impact that turbines have on bird populations.
“In the short term we want to trial promising camera and AI technology to document collisions – how often they happen and under what circumstances.
“Longer term, a better understanding of the collision risk will allow for more realistic predictions for new wind farms and help to refine mitigation measures.”
For this study, one of the turbines at the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm will be equipped with 16 thermal cameras, covering all angles of the turbine.
The thermal cameras work 24/7 using AI to detect falling objects and special software to extract the relevant images (pictured) and are able to register at night and during adverse weather like rain or fog.
They can spot small birds up to a distance of about 120 metres. For large birds, the camera’s range is up to 300 metres.
The camera and AI solution is provided by Wildlife Imaging Systems, installation is done by Circle Consult Aps.
The study runs over a year starting in August, focusing on the autumn and spring migration periods and is carried out in collaboration with Wageningen Environmental Research, part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
Every year, large numbers of land birds migrate along or over the North Sea.
They are on their way from breeding areas to wintering areas, or on their way back.
On nice days, songbirds and waders fly hundreds of metres high, but they stay closer to the surface when the weather is poor and come within range of the turbine blades.
Various initiatives are currently underway in the Netherlands to help reduce the number of bird fatalities.
One example is the Stop-start protocol, in which Vattenfall participates.
When large numbers of migrating birds are expected, all turbines are stopped for a few hours to allow the birds to pass uninterrupted.
The bird fatality study will help gaining further insight in the extent of collisions and the conditions under which these collisions occur, Vattenfall said.