Eagles &
Vultures
BIRD MONITORING AND MORTALITY
MITIGATION AT WIND FARMS
DTBIRD® SYSTEM
OCTOBER 2014
Introduction
Features for
Bird Monitoring
and Mortality Mitigation
at Wind Farms:
Eagles and Vultures
This document presents DTBird® system
features for the protection of Eagles and Vultures
(wingspan > 170 cm).
DTBird® system protects Eagles and Vultures, and at
the same time, all other bird species in collision risk
present at the wind farm anytime during whole year.
DTBird® is a self-working system that detects birds
and bats in real time, and performs real time actions,
like the automatic Stop of a wind turbine (WTG) or
the emission of Warning and Dissuasion sounds to
birds flying in collision risk areas.
The Highest Protection for Eagles and Vultures is
achieved with the simultaneous operation of
DTBird® Warning, Dissuasion and Stop Control.
Introduction
DTBird® has 4 modules available for birds and 2 for bats.
Detection
Collision Control
Automatic and
real-time detection of
birds by high resolution
image analysis.
Video recording with sound of
high collision risk bird flights,
including bird collisions (with the
blades, tower and nacelle), and
injured birds that fly away.
Dissuasion
Stop Control
Emission of Warning and
Dissuasion sounds adjusted
to bird collision risk.
Automatic wind turbine stop
trigger and restart, according to
real-time bird collision risk.
Bat Detection
Bat Stop Control
Automatic and real-time
detection of bats by
ultrasound detectors.
Automatic wind turbine stop
trigger and restart, according to
real-time bat collision risk.
Videos of every bird flight, bat calls, environmental data, wind turbine operation
parameters and DTBird® actions are recorded and uploaded daily to an on-line
Data Analysis Platform (DAP), available to the Client through Internet. The DAP
also provides Automatic Service reports, summarizing service profile, bird flights,
bat calls, DTBird® actions, and bird collisions detected.
First installation of DTBird® in a WTG was set up in March 2009 in Spain, and
currently is operating in France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Norway
and US (Montana), in on & offshore projects.
Detection
Detection Module
Features
Detection sensors: 4 HD Cameras.
Surveillance area: 360o around
every WTG.
Detection distance: Standard
configuration maximum detection
distances 250 to 150 m to the WTG,
depending on species size. Further
distances are available under request.
Daily service period: Continuous
monitoring during daylight (light
> 50 lux).
Recorded Data
Video and sound recordings
of every flight.
Flight time data: Init time
and total length.
Environmental data*, and
WTG operation parameters.
Species/group and bird
behaviour review from video
recordings.
Bird Detectability: > 80 %.**
FP/day (video with no bird):
< 1,5 FP, yearly average.
Observations:
* Environmental variables include, at
least: temperature, rain, wind speed,
wind direction and light.
** DTBird® detectability reported by the
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research,
NINA in December 2012 for all bird
species, in an area where the most
frequent species are eagles, was 86 –
96% of all birds in a radius of 150 m to the
wind turbine and 76 – 92% in a radius of
300 m. DTBird® detectability has been
improved since 2012.
DTBird® Detection Module installed in
France. View of 2 of the 4 HD Cameras.
Dissuasion
Dissuasion Module
Features
Dissuasion units: 4 High Power
Speakers.
Signals features:
• Sound warning signals to birds flying
in moderate collision risk areas. For
Eagles and Vultures, DTBird® team
propose to trigger signals between
200 - 100 m to the WTG.
Recorded Data
Warning/Dissuasion signal
time data: Init time and
total length.
Video and sound
recordings of bird flights
and Warning/Dissuasion
signals.
• Sound dissuasion signals to birds
flying in high collision risk areas.
For Eagles and Vultures, DTBird®
team propose to trigger signals
< 100 m to the WTG.
• Signal trigger in real time: < 2 s after
flight detection in collision risk.
• Signal power adjusted to legal
• Signal emission at height, and from
the WTG to the birds flying in
collision risk areas.
Less than 1,5 false triggers/day, with
less than than 60 seconds/day sound
emission, yearly average.
PATENT PENDING
requirements and bird sensibility.
DTBird® Dissuasion Module installed in
Greece. View of 2 of the 4 HP Speakers.
Observations:
The Dissuasion Module, can reduce the number and length of flights within the collision
risk area around a WTG, and so on, the number and length of WTG Stops, triggered by the
Stop Control Module. It is recommended to use both DTBird® Modules together.
Stop Control
Stop Control Module
Features
Interface with WTG: DTBird® system
hardware and software compatible
with all WTG manufacturers.
Automatic Stop trigger, linked to real
time detection of bird flights with
collision risk.
Recorded Data
Stop time data: Init time,
end time and total length.
Video recordings of bird
flight and the whole Stop.
Stop trigger in real time: < 2 s after
flight detection in collision risk.
Complete rotor Stop: 25 s to 50 s after
Stop trigger, depending on WTG model.
Stop length according to collision risk,
recommended at least 90 s per flight
in collision risk.
Automatic restart of the wind turbine
when the collision risk disappears.
Automatic email notification of every
Stop: Trigger time (first email), end
time and duration (second email).
DTBird® installation in Switzerland.
Stop adjustment to legal equirements.
Less than 2,5 hours stop length due to
false triggers, yearly average.
Observations:
Currently, automatic WTGs stops duration of all DTBird® Systems operating worldwide
vary from 0,1 to 20,5 hours/WTG/Year, with an average bellow 6 hours/WTG/Year
(including the time needed for the reactivation of the WTG).
Collision Control
Collision
Control Module
Features
Detection sensors: 4 HD Cameras.
Daily service period: Continuous
monitoring during daylight (light
> 50 lux).
Surveillance area: The whole rotor
swept area.
Register of potential collisions in
> 98% of flights detected (360o
bird monitoring around the rotor
swept area).
Recorded Data
Collision check from video
and sound recordings,
including birds potentially
injured, that fly away.
Video and sound recordings
of bird collision.
Optional cotinuous
Day & Night recording
(light > 0,05 lux).
Observations:
Currently, the capability to register
potential collisions in flights detected,
for all bird species, in all DTBird®
Systems operating worldwide, vary
from 98,4% to 99,8%.
DTBird® video image with a
White Tailed Eagle in collisions risk.
OCTOBER 2014
DTBird
Worldwide Presence
®
On Shore
Off Shore
New Installations
44 DTBird® units are operating in 12 wind farms distributed in 8 countries:
France
Poland
Greece
Spain
Italy
Switzerland
Norway
US (Montana)
Currently 9 DTBird® units are being installed in France and Norway.
www.dtbird.com
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