Initial Results - A Multi-Sensor Approach for Measuring Bird and Bat Collisions with Wind Turbines

Presentation Description: Post-construction mortality monitoring is standard at land-based wind farms. Because this approach is not applicable for offshore wind, collision detection methods are necessary to assess potential impacts of offshore wind development on volant wildlife. WEST is leading the validation of an automated, multi-sensor system for quantifying bird and bat collisions with wind turbines. The DOE has funded a collaboration among TNO, NREL, and WEST in advancing the development of TNO WT-Bird® collision detection system. The system includes non-metallic acceleration sensors mounted inside turbine blades to detect collision impacts, and cameras installed at the base of the turbine to record collision events. The primary objective is to optimize the WT-Bird® system to detect small bird and bat collisions during both daytime and nighttime hours. Three major technological advancements resulting from the project include: 1) improving the sensitivity of acceleration sensors to detect collisions as small as 8 grams, 2) integrating machine learning algorithms to process imagery data collected by the cameras to automatically classify birds or bats and verify collision, and 3) creating a launching system and projectiles of multiple sizes to realistically simulate collisions. This presentation will report on the initial results on the increased sensitivity of the acceleration sensors for detecting collision and the challenges of collision testing on a full-sized turbine at NREL during a pandemic.