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Description
It is expected that along with the development of offshore wind energy projects, their cumulative environmental impacts will increase. That will require measures minimizing the negative impact of offshore wind farms on migrating birds. The project aims at commercializing a service of research of migrating birds, which involves studies of bird flight at higher sea levels, and will provide information on the number of bird flights at ceilings of <20 m. Measurements of migratory bird flights, collected by means of a stabilized ornithological radar, will be the basis for calculations of the predicted bird mortality around wind farms. Therefore, our service of studying the flights of migratory birds will bring environmental benefits in the form of reduced collisions of birds with offshore wind turbines, and financial benefits consisting in optimizing wind turbine shutdown times only to periods of increased risk of bird collisions with such wind turbines.
Until now detection studies at higher sea levels could not be achieved in that scope, and the project innovation stems from stabilizing bird radars. The stabilizing platform, together with a structure connecting the platform to the radar system, will be designed and constructed by the Norwegian project partner, STABLE AS, that will also test the sea swell compensation of the stabilized ornithological radar in close-to-natural conditions. When the stabilized radar unit is ready, it will be tested by an independent research institute.
Summary of project results
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Summary of bilateral results
Our cooperation with the partner was smooth. The Partner responded to our needs on an ongoing basis, and always reacted without undue delay and with an open mind. We had a genuine feeling of partnership in which achieving the goal is important for each of the parties. Working with the Partner involved exchange of technological information and dealing on current problems. After the platform was delivered, our Partner worked with us to solve an unexpected problem that appeared. The Partner’s R&D department developed a solution to that problem. We are now discussing with the Partner possible cooperation on further projects. The high technologies we use are rather expensive solutions, hence we are currently waiting for the possibility of supporting our further activities with external funds before the cooperation is formalized.