Two of Tasmania’s wind farms are leading the nation in trialing innovative technology to reduce the risk of collisions with wedge-tailed eagles.
Musselroe Wind Farm is undertaking an Australian first trial of ‘Max’ radar technology, developed by Dutch company Robin Radars. It provides full 3D coverage from the horizon, up to one kilometre in height, and can automatically detect and log hundreds of birds simultaneously and can initiate the shutdown of turbines.
Cattle Hill Wind Farm is the first wind farm in Australia to trial the ‘IdentiFlight’ aerial monitoring and detection technology system, where tower-mounted optical units detect flying objects and then use algorithms to identify them as eagles within seconds. If an eagle’s speed and flight path indicate a risk of collision with a wind turbine, an alert is generated to shut down the specific wind turbine.
Both wind farms are hoping to share positive results of the trials with other wind farms in Tasmania and across Australia.
Image: Cattle Hill Wind Farm
