“Good News from the Planet” – BioConsult SH on ARTE

Husum,

Our colleague Esther Clausen appears on ARTE to explain AVES, a bird detection system used to prevent collisions between birds and wind turbines.

A red kite is flying in front of wind turbines. It is surrounded by a red-orange frame, which the automatic detection software AVES uses to identify the bird.

© Manfred Stöver; Montage ProTecBird

The programme “Good News from the Planet” on ARTE follows our colleague Esther Clausen to a wind farm in North Frisia and provides insight into how the anti-collision system works.

The programme can be viewed in the ARTE media library in German and French until 14 June. The corresponding segment begins at minute 26.

The AI-based anti-collision system AVES was co-developed by BioConsult SH. It consists of several cameras that monitor the airspace around a wind farm. 

With the help of AI, species sensitive to wind turbines are automatically detected. If a bird approaches the wind farm, the rotor speed of the turbines is temporarily reduced until the bird has left the danger zone. 

This makes it possible to comply with species protection requirements whilst simultaneously increasing turbine efficiency, as no general downtime (e.g. during the breeding season) is necessary.

Further information can be found in our service descriptions.