Ecowende and Partners to Advance Wildlife Monitoring at Offshore Wind Farms

Business development

February 15, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Ecowende has teamed up with Robin Radar Systems, MIDO, and DHI to implement a framework for bird and bat monitoring at its offshore wind farms.

Ecowende Wildlife Monitoring — *Source: Ecowende*

The technologies, which include Robin Radar’s MAX bird and bat radar systems, DHI’s sensor integration and artificial intelligence (AI) species recognition solution MUSE, and MIDO’s power-generating floating platform FLORA 1 will be deployed at Ecowende’s future offshore wind farm in the Netherlands.

Together with partners, Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco, and Chubu, intends to set a new ecological standard for building and operating offshore wind farms, with a minimal impact on the natural habitat of birds, bats, and marine mammals, and with a thriving underwater world, the joint venture said.

To enhance Ecowende’s data collection, the three-dimensional (3D) MAX Radar Systems operate every day of the year and in all weather conditions, simultaneously tracking and organising data into one informative and intuitive interface.

Mitigating the risk of collision, or even implementing shutdown-on-demand (SDOD) when necessary, depends on an extensive understanding of bird behaviour, according to Ecowende.

The FLORA 1 floating platform has been designed for offshore installation and is equipped for autonomous operation because of its power-generating nature, by using a complementary mix of wave and solar power and battery storage, allowing for uninterrupted data collection by the MAX Radar System on the platform.

“There’s a real determination to keep finding new ways to protect wildlife while helping the green transition. We share that passion, and like us, Ecowende will break ground and take risks to make essential technologies scalable and sustainable. We’re delighted to accompany them on this fantastic project, we’ll deploy no less than four flagship radars, including our first-ever MAX® on a floating platform,” said Sibylle Giraud, VP Wind and Environmental Practice at Robin Radar.

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Even more data can be gathered automatically, such as a count of the actual bird species being observed, by integrating the MAX with robotic cameras using DHI’s MUSE solution, according to Ecowende.

DHI’s AI-based algorithms automatically identify the species of birds of concern and locate bats in the wind farm zone and can automatically send signals to advise on slowing down individual wind turbines if a priority species of bird or bat is in danger of collision.

Shell and Eneco secured the development rights for Hollandse Kust West VI in December 2022. Last year, the joint venture unveiled plans for the 760 MW offshore wind farm to be built “in harmony with nature, with minimal impact on birds, bats, and marine mammals”.

In September 2023, Ecowende partnered with Waardenburg Ecology, the largest ecological consultancy firm in the Netherlands, to develop a comprehensive ecological programme for the offshore wind farm.