BatMonitor: How AI Can Reduce Bat Mortality in Wind Farms
A few days ago, we took part in the WindEurope annual event, organised by Europe’s leading wind energy association, which this year took place in Madrid. The event showcased the latest onshore and offshore wind technologies.
At the event, we presented our BatMonitor solution, which uses thermal cameras, artificial intelligence and automation to stop wind turbines when bats are detected nearby. This represents an improvement on the results achieved so far by systems based on lighting or ultrasound.
AI to Improve Sustainability in Wind Farms
After six months of testing, the solution has delivered very positive results for bat conservation in wind farm environments, achieving an 85% reduction in mortality. It also complies with European and Spanish regulations which, among other measures, require the shutdown of turbines with a high incidence of collisions involving protected species such as birds and, in this case, bats.
How BatMonitor Works: Minsait’s AI-Based Solution
The system is based on capturing the temperature and emissivity of objects using thermal cameras, enabling the identification of bats under a wide range of weather and visibility conditions, such as dark nights or foggy days.
Artificial intelligence is used in two stages of the process:
- The first involves real-time monitoring and advanced image analysis.
- In the second, if the algorithm detects movement consistent with flight and the animal’s outline, it triggers an automatic shutdown of the turbines by sending an alert to Babel, a software developed by Minsait, which then issues the command to the wind turbine’s control system (SCADA).
Other AI Solutions for Bird Protection
This bat protection solution builds on an earlier system also developed by Minsait, in which wind farms use 3D radars to detect birds and continuously track their trajectories, regardless of visibility conditions. The system then uses computer vision to identify the species and analyse potential flight paths. If a collision risk is detected, it automatically stops the turbines, reducing collisions involving protected birds by up to 80%.
You can find out more about these AI-based solutions.
Technology only makes sense when it delivers a positive impact: with artificial intelligence, we can make wind energy ever more environmentally sustainable.