Comprehensive Bird Preservation at Wind Farms
1
Bioseco Sp. z. o. o., Budowlanych 68, 80-298 Gdansk, Poland
2
Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Blekinge Institute of Technology, 371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden
3
Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2021, 21(1), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010267
Received: 26 November 2020
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Revised: 20 December 2020
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Accepted: 25 December 2020
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Published: 3 January 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Intelligent Sensors)
Wind as a clean and renewable energy source has been used by humans for centuries. However, in recent years with the increase in the number and size of wind turbines, their impact on avifauna has become worrisome. Researchers estimated that in the U.S. up to 500,000 birds die annually due to collisions with wind turbines. This article proposes a system for mitigating bird mortality around wind farms. The solution is based on a stereo-vision system embedded in distributed computing and IoT paradigms. After a bird’s detection in a defined zone, the decision-making system activates a collision avoidance routine composed of light and sound deterrents and the turbine stopping procedure. The development process applies a User-Driven Design approach along with the process of component selection and heuristic adjustment. This proposal includes a bird detection method and localization procedure. The bird identification is carried out using artificial intelligence algorithms. Validation tests with a fixed-wing drone and verifying observations by ornithologists proved the system’s desired reliability of detecting a bird with wingspan over 1.5 m from at least 300 m. Moreover, the suitability of the system to classify the size of the detected bird into one of three wingspan categories, small, medium and large, was confirmed.
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Keywords:
artificial intelligence; bird monitoring system; distributed computing; environmental sustainability; monitoring of avifauna; safety system; stereo-vision; vision system
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MDPI and ACS Style
Gradolewski, D.; Dziak, D.; Martynow, M.; Kaniecki, D.; Szurlej-Kielanska, A.; Jaworski, A.; Kulesza, W.J. Comprehensive Bird Preservation at Wind Farms. Sensors 2021, 21, 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010267
AMA Style
Gradolewski D, Dziak D, Martynow M, Kaniecki D, Szurlej-Kielanska A, Jaworski A, Kulesza WJ. Comprehensive Bird Preservation at Wind Farms. Sensors. 2021; 21(1):267. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010267
Chicago/Turabian StyleGradolewski, Dawid, Damian Dziak, Milosz Martynow, Damian Kaniecki, Aleksandra Szurlej-Kielanska, Adam Jaworski, and Wlodek J. Kulesza. 2021. "Comprehensive Bird Preservation at Wind Farms" Sensors 21, no. 1: 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21010267
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