Worldwide standard for automatic bats & birds mortality monitoring

Introduction

We would propose breaktrough solution for knock-out from wind power sector unclear monitoring methods based on ground searching or limited technical methods, and give the industry simple, universal, worldwide, onshore and offshore ready, transparent tool for birds & bats mortality monitoring.

Approach

Bats & birds mortality monitoring reports are full of gaps. Methods, based on unstandardized modus operandi, give incomparable outcome. The ambiguity and discretion of biologist work have unclear border. The validity of results of mortality monitoring is problematic in lots of due diligence and regulators procedures. Wind power industry is looking for some universal methods of mortality assessment. According to requirement, some technical solutions are proposed. However their efficiency in birds mortality monitoring can be, by good weather conditions close 100%, bats mortality estimation precision is unsatisfactory.

Main body of abstract

Operation of our tool is based on sensors installed on wind mill. The flight of victim differs from the flight of alive animal. Sensors read the movement and algorithms recognize collision. Results are reporting to the recipient online as a map with location of victims and the number of collision per time you wish.

Why so serious?

Implementation of standard in mortality monitoring is not only urgency of due diligence makers or regulators but especially objective need of protection of animals, especially bats. The generally impact of wind energy on birds is not so high like on bats, because of biggest diversity and bigger population of bird species. Ecology of bats makes them sensitive for every single mortality cause. We have 1142 bat species around the world and 258 (23%) threatened. In Europe we have 42 species including 25% threatened, and 27 species (64%) were noted as victims of collision with wind turbines. Estimated bats population in European Union is ca 40 millions. Mortality of bats per wind turbine per year is 0,1-106, let’s average, based on German researchers, 10 bats/turbine/year. The yearly mortality is ca. 3 millions in EU and this is ca. 15% of official population of bats. Most of bats species have only 1 young per year. Acceptable and observed in nature yearly mortality rate is 19-44%, depend on species. If we put to them an extra 15% of mortality from wind power with annual 10% growth (this is predicted growth of wind turbine number in Europe and in the world), we will be close to bring some species of bats to extinct in next few decades. The dangerous is especially serious for populations in northern Europe, where most of bats are females (males don’t migrate and stay south), so the mortality pressure for population is more dangerous.


Conclusion

Seriousness of situation brings raw deal for wind power industry, like temporally cut-off mitigation, which are 70% effective for protection of bats, but pick up ca. 3% of yearly energy productivity. The problem is, that such drastic mitigation methods based on low quality data and nobody can proof them.
We propose simply, clear, standardized, transparent, precise solution for automatic registration the real mortality of night flying animals and for day flying animals. The results are automated, independent from biologist interpretation and take into account barotrauma effect. Solution can be used offshore and onshore. Results can be reported direct to operators, developers, investors, regulators, searchers per e-mail, SMS or printed report.
The simplicity of the solution makes them ready for worldwide standard in environmental risk assessment and gives us tool for apply mitigation means according to real needs instead of ambiguous precaution principle. Last but not least, we eliminate human mistakes and their influence on monitoring results.



Learning objectives
You can learn about new technological innovation for boost standards in environmental risk assessment, avoid mitigation cut-off, enable automatic registry of colision and on-line reporting of monitoring results, enable mortality monitoring in offshore projects.