Dutch Offshore Wind Plant To Have Floating Radars To Protect Birds

The Hague-based Robin Radars will be deploying radars at offshore wind farms to protect birds and bats from related accidents. Robin will set up four flagship MAX bird detection radars to support Ecowende in its ecological wind farm off the Dutch coast.

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Ecowende is pressing for a sustainable future for offshore wind; one that positively contributes to the North Sea’s ecology. Their planned wind farm will be the largest in the Dutch North Sea, providing a huge 3% of the current Dutch electricity demand with clean energy.

The Ecowende wind farm will be located about 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast, near IJmuiden. With an installed capacity of approximately 760 MW, Ecowende aims to have its wind farm fully operational and commissioned in 2026.

The radars are an effective tool in gathering key data on both local and migrating birds. It detects altitude, bird number, size and flight path, tracking thousands of birds simultaneously. Operators use these insights to develop ecologically conscious sites. Migration thresholds, the number of birds that classify a high peak migration, can also be set by operators. Once these parameters are passed, radars like MAX can send a signal to the turbine control system to ensure safe passage.

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This shutdown-on-demand (SDOD) signal is based on real-time data, so single or groups of turbines can be deactivated rather than the entire site, which minimises downtime. Once the migration has safely passed, the turbines then reactivate, preserving energy production and protecting wildlife.

The radars will detect, track and log the detailed data it collects on bird movements, behavioural and cyclical patterns, speed, and height. All of this information is integral in forming part of Ecowende’s research to develop one of the largest wind parks in the North Sea.

The floating installation completes one of four radars to be installed on the site in total, with the other three located on turbines spread across the offshore wind farm to monitor birds and bats. MAX is deployed across the globe to support the development and operation of both on- and offshore wind farms. It has informed pioneering mathematical and predictive models and critical ecological research, but until now, it’s never been installed on a floating platform.

As part of the project and for the first time ever, MAX® will deploy on a floating platform with MIDO. One of the four systems deployed will be installed on a custom-built power-generating floating platform, FLORA 1.