Energy transition or protection of biodiversity? Advance in the deployment of green technologies or slow their expansion? These are some of the questions that many people have begun to ask themselves and that also confront environmentalists. Photovoltaic plants are gaining hectares on the land of the Iberian Peninsula and wind turbines rise imposingly over the mountains. Two sides of the same coin in which, on the one hand, Spain broke its record for renewable energy generation and, on the other, almost 10,000 birds have died from impacts with the blades of wind generators. Although it is also true that the coexistence between renewables and flora and fauna is not at odds.
These installations, both solar and wind, are located in nature and the animal kingdom is usually the most affected. However, before beginning the deployment of these technologies, each project must receive approval from the competent authorities with a favorable environmental impact declaration.
A study carried out by SEO-Birdlife estimates the number of birds killed as a result of collisions at 57,026, either with wind turbines (6,058) or with power lines (50,968), to which another 14,007 deaths are added due to electrocution, between 2008 and 2018. Other investigations, such as that of the Doñana Biological Station (EBD) and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), have detected that in Spain between two and four million animals, such as birds and bats, die due to impact with windmills. wind. “We are aware that there is a clear environmental impact,” says Daniel García Manteiga, head of product and business development for Telco and Media at Minsait.
To minimize this risk, the Indra subsidiary has developed a system that combines artificial intelligence with bird recognition algorithms for application in wind farms. “We have really combined several technologies that we already had and they allow us to make decisions to minimize the environmental impact of these parks,” he explains.
However, this project, developed with Next Generation funds and with the participation of the CDTI (Center for Technological Development and Innovation), is based on two key technologies: artificial intelligence and real-time video analysis. With a 3D radar they capture any type within a 5 kilometer area and a camera system instantly monitors the passage of these animals. “We have been working with these tools for several years,” explains García Manteiga. “A year ago we incorporated artificial intelligence,” he adds.
With this latest addition, the solution avoids human intervention and converts this safety system into an autonomous entity capable of preventing bird impacts on the wind turbine blades. “The algorithms calculate the probability of impact and, if it is positive, an automatic stop command is made for the corresponding wind turbines,” comments the head of product and business development for Telco and Media at Minsait.
Individualized surveillance
Although the solution is park-based, “We are in various parts of the Iberian Peninsula, but out of respect for customers I cannot say which places,” García Manteiga clarifies, Minsait's protection system works for each wind turbine. Although there are 20 mills. And it does it for each mill. Depending on the size of the installation, one or two 3D radars are located, although normally, those responsible for it say, one is enough. When this technology detects a presence, the cameras automatically focus on the location of the intrusion. It is at this point where artificial intelligence begins to do its job to detect what type of species is approaching. “All this is done in real time,” warns the spokesperson for the Spanish company. “This has also been a challenge, because on many occasions these wind farms are in remote areas where there is no good connection,” he warns. To do this, together with Red Hat, an American company that provides open source software mainly to companies, and 5G connectivity, they have managed to solve this obstacle.
“We calculate the probability of impact trying to predict the trajectory of the bird,” he answers. “If there is danger, first of all, a series of acoustic signals are emitted to divert these animals from the path and if this is not achieved, commands are sent to the wind turbines so that they reduce their speed or even stop,” adds García Manteiga. .
In addition, the protection system is trained to detect so-called “especially vulnerable species” such as the Egyptian vulture or the lesser kestrel in some areas of Spain. In these cases, the probability of impact is not expected to be determined; the wind turbines, once the bird has been identified, go into technical stop to avoid collisions and thus create a safe corridor. “These accidents have an environmental impact and also an economic impact for companies,” he warns.
Sanctions that are included in Law 42/2007 of December 13, on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, which contemplates economic penalties for the mortality of threatened species if the company does not act. Besides, the Environmental Assessment Law (Law 21/2013)also establishes that if once informed, the company does not implement corrective measures, it may incur an infraction that, depending on the severity, carries associated sanctions that can be criminal in the most serious extremes.
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