NatForWINSENT II - Phase 1

The “Implementation of nature conservation research at the wind test site” focuses on the design and testing of avoidance measures for birds and bats. Particular attention is paid to the protection of wind energy-sensitive birds of prey such as the red kite, for which the operation of wind turbines poses a potential threat and which is located in the vicinity of the wind energy test site.

Nature conservation research at the onshore wind energy test site is divided into two phases: Phase 1 relates to preliminary investigations prior to the construction of the research wind turbines, Phase 2 to investigations on and with the wind turbines during operation.

Several red kites have been fitted with GPS transmitters since 2019. These are used to continuously record and evaluate their movements. At the same time, a radar device was installed to continuously record birds (as well as bats and insects) in the airspace of the test site area. By intersecting the movement data with the meteorological data recorded on the test site, such as wind speed, temperature, visibility, etc., but also by recording land use activities, dependencies of the birds’ activity are to be investigated and the question of whether shutdown algorithms can potentially be derived from this is to be pursued.

Two wind measuring masts had already been erected at the future site of the two wind turbines since the start of phase 1. In addition to the meteorological data, bat activity was also recorded on these masts using acoustic sensors at different heights over several years from March to October. Innovative photo traps were developed for the parallel recording of insects and used in continuous operation. In addition, a stereo thermal imaging camera system was developed and tested for the three-dimensional recording of bat flight movements.

Anti-collision systems for birds available on the market or intended for market entry were tested for their detection and recognition quality using a test concept developed for this purpose. An automated detection system for bird and bat strike victims for installation in the nacelles of research wind turbines was also designed, developed and tested.