Robin Radar Systems and energy provider Eneco have teamed up to limit bird mortalities at wind farms with an innovative Shutdown-on-Demand (SDOD) system in Maasvlakte 2, the Netherlands.
The Maasvlakte 2 wind farm is a beacon of clean innovation, but it’s also built in an area rich in wildlife, particularly breeding and migratory birds.
Like many conscious energy providers, Eneco faced a complex challenge: How could they maximise the renewable energy output of the wind farm while safeguarding local and migratory bird populations?
It’s here, at a cross-section of expertise and innovation, that Waardenburg Ecology, Rijkswaterstaat, and Robin Radar Systems began a cutting-edge collaboration with Eneco.
Energy transition: Maasvlakte 2 Wind Farm
Eneco is driving the energy transition in the Netherlands. Their commitment to sustainability is reflected in ambitious projects, like the construction of a wind farm at Maasvlakte 2.
Sites like Maasvlakte 2 are of paramount importance to a greener energy share. Located on the edge of the North Sea and part of Europe’s largest port, the port of Rotterdam, this site is home to 22 wind turbines. Their renewable power is used by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for their department in The Hague, but also for the energy supply of twenty tunnels, almost 1,200 bridges and 5,500 kilometres of highway lighting.
Energy is even left to spare for the central government. Defence complexes, prisons, courts, and government offices will also benefit from the supply of green energy.
As well as being home to an innovative wind farm development, this coastal region is also home to several bird species. Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breed at the site, and in autumn and spring, many migrant birds pass through the area under the cover of night.
In a bid to ensure the wind farm could coexist with the biodiversity around it, Eneco sought effective measures to mitigate the risks the turbines posed for these birds.
Pushing research to the MAX: 3D avian radar
Through ecological consultancy, Waardenburg Ecology, and governmental agency, Rijkswaterstaat, Robin and Eneco partnered to develop and deploy a unique dual-automated SDOD system with 3D avian radar, MAX, at its heart.
MAX combines precision hardware with intuitive software, giving users 3D, 360° awareness, all year round.
Sibylle Giraud, Robin’s VP Wind and Environmental Practice, said: “The radar tracks birds continuously and autonomously, for years. It collects a very strong temporal data set, tracking flocks of thousands, indicating bird number, flight path, altitude, speed, and more.
“The data it gathers can inform collision risk models, which help to determine the probability of birds colliding with a wind turbine during passage through a rotor-swept-zone (RSZ). In other words, airspace within the turbine’s spin.”
Eneco uses these insights to develop an ecologically conscious site, taking a step further to implement an SDOD system directly integrated with the wind farm’s SCADA system. This will further minimise ecological risk, and maximise operational efficiency.
Daniël Hoffmann, Asset Manager Eneco Maasvlakte 2: “Eneco uses MAX to understand the risk of bird collisions and take necessary precautions. But we wanted to do more than that. From day one, this was a partnership forged in innovation.”
Shutting down risk: How does SDOD work?
In essence, SDOD enables turbines to pause their spin during times of high risk, like migrations.
It has proven to be one of the most effective measures for reducing bird collisions, particularly when turbine placement is carefully planned. Extensive studies highlight reductions ranging from 50% to nearly 100% for specific species.
Robin’s SDOD plug-in allows MAX to send a signal based on real-time data to the SCADA system. Depending on the threat level and the intensity of collision risk, single turbines, sets of turbines or the entire wind farm can be paused, if necessary.
Thresholds, like the number of birds that classify a high peak migration, can be tailored to each site, set and adjusted individually. Once these parameters are reached, MAX sends a signal to the turbine control system which de- and re-activates operation.
Daniël explains: “At Maasvlakte 2, we’ve deployed the world’s first double decision tree mechanism for SDOD. It uses two sets of parameters, local and migratory, to create an alert to shut down turbines as and when needed.
“This groundbreaking system can stop sets of turbines when bird activity in the area reaches a critical risk level. It will ensure a safe passage for the birds that travel through Maasvlakte 2 each year during migration, as well as the local bird population.”
“In the coming years, we work closely with Robin, Waardenburg Ecology, and Rijkswaterstaat to refine our shutdown system and measure how effective it is.”
Preserving birdlife: Why data is key
There’s no certainty about the way birds will interact with human infrastructure, every species and environment is different. It takes careful research and tailored setups to get those answers.
Gathering data on bird behaviour is essential to mitigating the adverse effects of human development, but it demands continuous monitoring, day and night, in remote locations and tricky terrains.
Sibylle says that’s exactly where radar starts to shine. “Before radar, birds were generally studied via visual observations, limited firstly by daylight and secondly by time.
“GPS is another way to track birds and discover specific life behaviours, but it’s unfeasible to tag more than say a few hundred.
“As well as performing equally well in darkness, avian radar is very effective in tracking mass movements, like migrations. It logs everything it detects, offering specific reporting tools that visualise environmental conditions, bird size, speed, altitude, and more for risk collision models and effective mitigation.”
A future in balance: Radar in ecology
With the expansion of green energy sites, the focus on balancing critical human infrastructure with the natural world is becoming even more prevalent.
Durability, accuracy of detection and detailed, organised insights mean radar is fast becoming an essential part of the ecological toolkit.
Sibylle Giraud said: “I joined Robin in 2018 to expand our scope and create a team that fully focuses on avian protection in the wind and environmental segment. It’s been an extraordinary journey over the last five years, seeing our flagship system, MAX, gradually deployed all over the world.
“What I love the most is the passion within the industry to keep finding innovative ways to protect birds whilst helping the green transition. The pace of innovation only seems to be accelerating lately, in every corner of the planet.”
