Swedish power giant Vattenfall recently conducted a two-year, €3 million study of seabirds at its Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm in Scotland. The aim of the study was to improve our understanding of seabird flight behavior inside an offshore wind farm. To do this, Vattenfall combined radar data with cameras to identify the species of seabird and create a three-dimensional image of birds’ flight patterns and how they avoid offshore wind turbines’ rotor blades.
The movements of herring gulls, gannets, kittiwakes, and great black-backed gulls were studied in detail from April to October, when bird activity is at its height. The study’s findings: Not a single collision between a bird and a rotor blade was recorded. Vattenfall says that the herring gulls and kittiwakes showed horizontal avoidance further away from rotor blades, 90-110 meters (295-361 feet) and 140-160 meters (459-525 feet), respectively, while the gannets and great black-backed gulls only exhibited avoidance behavior at 40 and 50 meters (131 and 164 feet) from the tips of rotor blades.
Vattenfall has video evidence to back up its study’s findings – ten thousand videos of birds flying around Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm, in fact. Henrik Skov, who led the project, said: “This is the first time that any kind of bird species has been studied this closely and in detail at an offshore wind farm. And these birds are really good at avoiding the turbines. Now we need studies on more varieties.” He added that surveys on bird behavior are part of an overall effort to avoid building wind farms in flight corridors.
The results of this study demonstrate that offshore wind farms can be built without posing a risk to seabirds. This is an important step forward in the development of renewable energy sources that are both sustainable and environmentally friendly.
FAQ
Q1. When will electric cars be available in the UK?
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