Zefiro Partners has presented a study that reveals that the Identiflight artificial vision system for the protection of birds in wind farms in Spain reduces bird mortality by 99.88% and ensures that production losses of this type of energy are less than 1%. The study has been carried out by the Department of Ecology of the Autonomous University of Madrid, in a Spanish wind farm.
The system combines computer vision, artificial intelligence and selective shutdown of wind turbines to reduce the risk of collision of protected birds without compromising the production of renewable energy. It is capable of detecting protected birds, identifying species, calculating risk trajectories, ordering selective stops and generating verifiable evidence for operators, administrations and society. These results are part of a catalog of 37 protected species configured in the Spanish park, which covers from the Iberian imperial eagle and the Bonelli’s eagle to the red kite, the griffon vulture, the black stork and the Montagu’s harrier.
Among the most relevant findings of this scientific base are: an 82% reduction in the mortality rate of golden eagles at the IdentiFligh-equipped wind farmt with respect to the control park. The second, published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence in 2022 and confirmed a reduction of 85%.
Capacity assessments carried out in Germany, Sweden and Australia recorded Detection rates of between 87 and 96% of flights, with correct identification of target species of 95 to 99% and detection ranges of up to 1,200 meters.
The V5 version that operates in Spain, more advanced than those used in these studies, extends the maximum detection distance to 1,500 meters for large birds. “Many of the automatic detection systems that are currently being applied in wind farms have not been validated. It is essential to apply scientifically validated protocols that contribute to mitigation in Environmental Impact Statements,” comments Julia Gómez Catasús, doctor at the Department of Ecology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Most systems on the market would not pass that filter, so the Dr. Gómez makes an explicit call to regulate the sector and establish minimum certification criteria so that these systems are valid in Environmental Impact Statements