© A. Rose
AVES Wind Onshore – avoiding collisions with wind turbines
AVES Wind Onshore is an anti-collision system for the on-demand shutdown of wind turbines to protect large birds.
Compatibility of wind energy use and bird protection
The technical concept of the AVES WIND ONSHORE SYSTEM is based on the continuous monitoring of the airspace around the wind farm by several moving PTZ cameras. If the target bird species flies into the defined reaction area, the affected wind turbines are specifically set to idle mode.
The cameras are a central component of the AVES-WIND ONSHORE system. They monitor the airspace around the wind farm by panning and tilting and automatically track birds that are zoomed in to identify the species. Once at least one camera has recognised a flying object, it is identified by an AI specially tailored to the wind farm. The algorithm recognises whether it is the target species, another bird species or any other flying object.
If a wind farm sensible bird species (target species) exceeds a defined minimum distance and further approaches a wind turbine (reaction range), a signal will be sent to the wind turbine, which is then switched to idle mode for a short period of time. The rotor speed is reduced to avoid a significant risk of bird strike. The idle mode is terminated as soon as the bird leaves the reaction range of the cameras.
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Red kite in the wind test field detected as a target by the AVES system.
Event-related shutdown instead of long-term downtimes
Event-related shutdowns will reduce the need for legally required general and long-term downtimes (e.g. during the breeding season or cultivation with low flight activity) and thus enhances the efficiency of wind turbines and the entire wind farm while at the same time complying with species protection requirements.
AVES Wind Onshore is designed as a subsystem of complex wind turbines. By simply networking several wind turbines in a wind farm, the system can be configured to comply with local species protection regulations.
In February 2024, the effectiveness of the bird protection system was confirmed by the Bionum GmbH biostatistics office.
The main advantages of AVES Wind Onshore are:
- Low installation costs by using the existing wind farm infrastructure
- High detection and recognition rate thanks to sophisticated AI-based software
- Precise distance and speed measurement of the bird using triangulation of several cameras
- Rapid upgrade of the system in case of wind farm adjustments or due to changes in species protection legislation
Camera system and functionality of AVES Onshore and AVES Industry.
Further information
Assessments and proof of effectiveness
AVES WIND ONSHORE Antikollisionssystem zum Schutz des Rotmilans (Milvus milvus) Artenschutzfachliche Bewertung
Bioplan - Hammerich, Hinsch und Partner PartG
Statistische Begutachtung des Antikollisionssystems „AVES-Wind Onshore“ vor dem Hintergrund des LfU-AKS Prüfrahmens und in Anlehnung an die „KNE-Checkliste“
Bionum GmbH – Büro für Biostatistik
Partners and funding
The system is developed and distributed by ProTecBird, a joint venture between the companies BioConsult SH and Protectis Air.
Please refer to www.protecbird.com/en for further information about AVES Wind Onshore and ProTecBird.
The development of AVES Onshore was funded by the Business Development and Technology Transfer Corporation of Schleswig-Holstein. Aim was a proof of concept (reduction of the significantly increased risk of collision fatalities of the respective wind farm sensible species) of the AVES system by 2023 by independent consultants, the Competence Centre for Nature Conservation and Energy Transition (KNE) and the state environmental agency (LfU).
