It is the Norwegian company Spoor that is responsible for the bird monitoring. Since January 2022, Spoor has mapped bird activity at the floating offshore wind turbine at the Marine Energy Test Centre (METCentre), located about 10 kilometers off the coast of Karmøy.
The cameras have captured over 21,000 bird passages since the monitoring began. The monitoring and analyses were conducted in collaboration with the Biodiversity Department at Multiconsult. In October 2023, an adjustment was made to the equipment to better detect potential collisions. Even after this adjustment, not a single collision has been registered.
“These are very positive results. Analyses of birds and their movement patterns are important for the industry’s continued focus on offshore wind in Norway. The knowledge we have gained through this project will be valuable for understanding the coexistence between birds and wind turbines,” says Arvid Nesse, Head of METCentre and Norwegian Offshore Wind.
“This is new Norwegian technology that we are proud to be involved in. The further development will focus on improving resolution for increased detection, better automated species identification, and tracking behavioral changes in flight activity.
“The knowledge we have gained through this project will be valuable for understanding the coexistence between birds and wind turbines.”
The extensive bird mapping is the first of its kind in Norway. The data collected provides a solid picture of which species pass by the turbines and how they move. The monitoring shows the birds’ movement patterns around the turbines over time.
METCentre is located close to the area where Norway’s first large-scale floating offshore wind farm, Utsira Nord, will be built.
METCentre has been granted a permit to install a total of seven different floating technologies for renewable energy production. The test center is involved in several research projects on nature, the environment, marine life, and bird research.
“We in the industry have a great responsibility to bring forward new knowledge and counter misinformation. Therefore, we want to openly share the results from the research we are involved in,” emphasizes Nesse.
Spoor confirms that collisions between offshore wind turbines and birds rarely occur.
“Data collected at METCentre, under the mandate of the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), has provided valuable insight into how birds interact with floating offshore wind turbines. METCentre also proves to be an ideal place for the development of new wind technology, as it gives us a unique opportunity to verify and improve our AI solutions in real-world conditions,” says Spoor’s CEO, Ask Helseth.
