A new system for automatic recognition of threatened bird species will make it possible to reduce the speed of selected wind turbines when red-listed bird species pass by. The system is based on artificial intelligence and is a further development of the so-called MUSE system, which is today the leading solution for bird monitoring in offshore wind farms. With the new system, the deceleration can be limited to individual turbines, so that energy production is maximized. – This is how we can accelerate the development of offshore wind energy, which is so decisive for the green transition, says Mikael Kamp Sørensen, executive director of the company to industry newspaper Elektroniknknett. The government announced in May that they want 1,500 wind turbines in Norwegian waters by 2040. The ambition is for wind power to produce as much power as Norwegian water turbines. Photo: Jens Meyer / AP Støre wants more wind turbines The government announced in May that they want 1,500 wind turbines in Norwegian waters by 2040. The ambition is for offshore wind to produce as much power as Norwegian water turbines. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) announced at the same time that he wants more wind turbines in the country, and that this will be politically possible given “more thorough processes” and greater local involvement. Bird death has been among the main arguments against wind power, symbolized by the turbine blades on Smøla, which have taken the lives of more than 100 sea eagles since 2006. According to the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA), more than 500 dead birds have been found under the wind power plant on the island of Smøla in Nordmøre. Different methods have therefore been used and tried out to prevent damage to birds, such as measuring the blackness of the turbine blades. According to reports, it may have reduced sea eagle deaths by 70 percent. This sea eagle was still alive when the picture was taken. Photo: Ulla Falkdalen – Can surprise the construction of wind farms In Norway, the company Spoor has installed surveillance cameras on existing wind power plants, in order to be able to continuously monitor how the parks affect the bird populations. Among those using the technology are the Røyrmyra wind power plant and the offshore wind test center on Karmøy, the MET Centre. According to Stavanger Aftenblad, Spoor’s technology will be able to support the construction of wind farms both at sea and on land “as the mapping of bird life can be done much faster and more thoroughly than before”. Nature conservation advisor at BirdLife Norway, Martin Eggen, is pleased with the development. He nevertheless clarifies that new technology can only be a mitigating measure, and that it is still important to consider where wind power is developed along the coast. – It is essential that you find the sea areas that have few birds, he says. In September, a new survey from the Cicero Center for Climate Research showed that Norwegians have become more positive about wind power in the past year. Now 39 percent are positive, while 34 percent are negative. – We use conventional methods In the new wind farm at Lutelandet in Fjaler, they have not used new technology for automatic identification of threatened bird species. – We use conventional methods such as bird watching, says head of wind power in Sogn og Fjordane Energi (SFE), Stig-Magne Svalheim. The concession states that they must carry out a “follow-up investigation programme” for three years after the facility is open. They must also have a period of log-keeping using radar. It is Norway’s Directorate of Waterways and Energy, NVE, which sets license conditions and can require wind power plants to have black turbine blades or other measures.
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Artificial intelligence will save birds from wind power death – news Vestland
