TY - RPRT
TI - Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Detection and Deterrent System in Reducing Golden Eagle Fatalities at Operational Wind Facilities
AU - Felton, S
AU - Perkins, L
AU - Smith, J
AU - Terrell, S
AB - The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) was appointed as the prime awardee of DOEaward number DE-EE0007883 to lead a team of scientists, wind developers, and technologymanufacturers toward the overarching goal of evaluating the effectiveness of the currentDTBird system in minimizing the risk of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and other largesoaring raptors from approaching the rotor-swept zone (RSZ) of operating wind turbines. Aspart of this goal, the team set out to 1) quantify the expected reduction in collision risk forgolden eagles from operation of the detection and deterrence modules in a manner thatsupports the approach used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to assess and credit facility operators for their efforts to minimize predicted collision fatalities and 2) provideinformation to help improve the technology to maximize its effectiveness. To meet our objectives, the team conducted a two-year experiment at the Goodnoe Hills wind facility in Washington state, in which 14 turbines were outfitted with DTBird units. Daily, each DTBird-equipped turbine was randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Treatment turbines operated with DTBird running as intended—broadcasting warning or deterrent signals when DTBird detected a target within range. On control turbines, no sound signals were broadcast if a moving target triggered the DTBird system. The team also flew unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to coarsely mimic the general size, weight, and coloration of golden eagles in programmed flight transects across DTBird detection ranges to quantify DTBird’s ability to detect intended targets and to evaluate factors that influence the probability of detection and DTBird’s response distances. Additionally, the team evaluated the behavioral responses of in situ eagles exposed to spinning turbines alone (visual and sound influences) versus spinning turbines plus broadcasted DTBird audio deterrents, to estimate the effectiveness of deterrence by the DTBird system. The data and results from these investigations were combined with those from a pilot study conducted at the Manzana Wind Power Project in California to better evaluate DTBird’s effectiveness across different landscapes.
DA - 2024/05//
PY - 2024
PB - Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI)
SN - DE-EE0007883.0012
UR - https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2429430
DO - 10.2172/2429430
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Avoidance
KW - Collision
KW - Birds
KW - Raptors
ER -