Night vision for bird- and bat-friendly offshore wind power

The same technology that enables soldiers to see in the dark can also help protect birds and bats near offshore wind turbines. Night vision goggles use thermal imaging, which captures infrared light that's invisible to the human eye. Now, researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are using thermal imaging to help birds and bats near offshore wind farms. PNNL is developing software called ThermalTracker to automatically categorize birds and bats in thermal video. Birds and bats fly over offshore waters, but they're difficult to track in such remote locations. The software can help determine if there are many birds or bats near an offshore wind project and if they could be affected by the project. If that's the case, officials can consider adjusting the location of a proposed project or modifying an existing project's operations. Biologists at the non-profit Biodiversity Research Institute have tested the system to determine how well it identifies birds compared to their field observations in Maine, one of the states considering offshore wind power.

 

PNNL | www.pnnl.gov

 


Volume: 2018 January/February