Vattenfall Tests New Bird Monitoring Tech at Dutch Offshore Wind Farm

Vattenfall has tested a thermal camera system using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor bird behaviour at its Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea.

The system, developed by Wildlife Imaging Systems (WIS), used 16 thermal cameras installed on one wind turbine. The technology is said to be able to detect small migratory birds and bats in darkness, as well as larger bird species during daylight hours. Researchers from Wageningen University & Research analysed the recordings to assess the system’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

The cameras operated around the clock, capturing bird movements during the day and at night, including in fog and rain, Vattenfall said on 20 October.

The nine-month trial covered two bird migration periods, spring and autumn, when millions of songbirds cross the North Sea, and recorded 22 possible collision events, two confirmed and one classified as probable.

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