Posters

Abstract

How to balance expected energy transition and biodiversity? Recent EC guidelines on speeding up permitting procedures expressly state that the Member States shall promote and require the use of the latest technology in order to minimize the impact of wind energy on the environment. Bird monitoring products have been in use for quite some time in wind farms, yet with mixed results caused by short detection distances and a high number of false positive detections. Bioseco Bird Protection System (BPS) in a long-range version has been designed with the user-driven design methodology (UDD) to meet the industry requirements considering the size of the protection area resulting from birds' speed, blade swept area, SCADA latency, and time of turbine stopping procedure including bird localization uncertainty and detection efficiency. The decision-making algorithm uses a smart deterrent system, stereo-vision based size classification, and 3D localization algorithms to minimize the risk of bird collision. The ultimate goal is to efficiently save birds and optimize turbine curtailments. The prototype of the BPSis composed of 32 cameras coupled in stereovision mode powered by AI algorithms and IoT. It was installed on Vestas V150 4.2 MW wind turbine in Germany in Autumn 2021. Since then, the system was validated with the use of a drone equipped with a GPS logger as well as by external observer-ornithologists equipped with the Laser range finder (LRF). Ongoing long-term observations coordinated by the PNE AG show that BPS meets the German KNE guidelines in terms of detection range and efficiency, birds localization precision, and reaction time. Intermediate results proved 97% of BPS efficiency in detecting of Red Kites in the range of 500m and 91% in the range of 700m.