Post Construction Monitoring of Post Construction Monitoring of Birds and Bats at Birds and Bats at Maple Ridge Wind Farm. Maple Ridge Wind Farm. David Mizrahi, NJ Audubon Society David Mizrahi, NJ Audubon Society William Evans, Old Bird, Inc. William Evans, Old Bird, Inc. D. Scott Reynolds, NE Ecological Services D. Scott Reynolds, NE Ecological Services Robert Fogg, NJ Audubon Society Robert Fogg, NJ Audubon Society
Presentation Outline Presentation Outline • Background • Background • Goals/Objectives • Goals/Objectives • Data collection methods • Data collection methods • Analyses and outputs • Analyses and outputs
Blowin’ in the Wind Blowin’ in the Wind • Globally • Globally – Wind power generation is the fastest – Wind power generation is the fastest growing energy sector (~ 20% growing energy sector (~ 20% annually) annually) • USA • USA – 2 nd largest producer of wind energy – 2 nd largest producer of wind energy globally globally – 11,600 MW installed as of 2006 – 11,600 MW installed as of 2006 • Higher capacity (MW) • Higher capacity (MW) – Generate more power/unit operation – Generate more power/unit operation time time • Lower cut-in speed • Lower cut-in speed – Wind speed needed to generate – Wind speed needed to generate electricity electricity
80 m Changes in Changes in Technology Technology Rotor Diameter 50 m Modified from CWR, 2005 30 m 10 m Hub Height 2001 2004 1981 2007
Maple Ridge Wind Farm Maple Ridge Wind Farm • Tug Hill Plateau, Lewis County, NY • Tug Hill Plateau, Lewis County, NY – Elevation range ~400 - 600 m – Elevation range ~400 - 600 m – Mosaic of habitat types – Mosaic of habitat types • Open crop fields and pastures • Open crop fields and pastures • Successional old field and shrubland • Successional old field and shrubland • Woodlots, wooded wetlands, and • Woodlots, wooded wetlands, and riparian zones; contiguous forest in riparian zones; contiguous forest in western region western region • Largest wind power facility east of • Largest wind power facility east of the Mississippi River the Mississippi River – 196 wind turbine generators, 1.65 – 196 wind turbine generators, 1.65 MW each MW each • Hub height ~80 m, rotor diameter • Hub height ~80 m, rotor diameter ~80 m ~80 m • Turbine strings and individual • Turbine strings and individual turbine sites turbine sites • ~19 km long, ~8,500 hectares • ~19 km long, ~8,500 hectares
Project Goals Project Goals • Provide data and analyses that assist in precise and • Provide data and analyses that assist in precise and cost-effective determination of impacts (e.g., mortality) to cost-effective determination of impacts (e.g., mortality) to birds and bats at wind power generation sites in New birds and bats at wind power generation sites in New York York • Relate those impacts to forecasted numbers based on • Relate those impacts to forecasted numbers based on pre and post construction monitoring (i.e., relationships pre and post construction monitoring (i.e., relationships between exposure and effect) between exposure and effect) • Provide findings to resource managers and policy • Provide findings to resource managers and policy makers interested in assessing the effects of wind power makers interested in assessing the effects of wind power development on wildlife development on wildlife
Project Objectives Project Objectives 1. Use multiple methods to assess potential risk of birds and bats 1. Use multiple methods to assess potential risk of birds and bats colliding with wind turbines colliding with wind turbines – Quantify bird/bat movement patterns (rates, altitude and flight direction) – Quantify bird/bat movement patterns (rates, altitude and flight direction) during passage through the project area during passage through the project area – Investigate how meteorological conditions modify patterns – Investigate how meteorological conditions modify patterns 2. Determine relationships between collision risk (pre and post 2. Determine relationships between collision risk (pre and post construction assessments) and collision incidents construction assessments) and collision incidents – Investigate how meteorological conditions modify these relationships – Investigate how meteorological conditions modify these relationships 3. Compare results of pre and post construction collision risk 3. Compare results of pre and post construction collision risk assessments assessments 4. Evaluate the precision and efficacy of assessment methods 4. Evaluate the precision and efficacy of assessment methods � Maple Ridge post construction wildlife monitoring project is unique – � Maple Ridge post construction wildlife monitoring project is unique – i.e., simultaneously evaluating relationships between risk and effect i.e., simultaneously evaluating relationships between risk and effect
Why birds and bats? Why birds and bats? • Exposure and effect • Exposure and effect relationships are different for relationships are different for birds and bats birds and bats – Preliminary mortality study at – Preliminary mortality study at Maple Ridge Wind Farm in 2006 Maple Ridge Wind Farm in 2006 suggests that bat collision suggests that bat collision incidents occur 3-6 times more incidents occur 3-6 times more frequently than in birds frequently than in birds • Design or operation • Design or operation modifications to resolve modifications to resolve conflicts with bats may be conflicts with bats may be different than with birds different than with birds
Data Collection Methods Data Collection Methods • Estimate exposure (i.e., risk) • Estimate exposure (i.e., risk) – Dual marine radar system (passage rates, flight altitude, flight direction) – Dual marine radar system (passage rates, flight altitude, flight direction) – Bird/bat acoustic detection (passage rates, species identification) – Bird/bat acoustic detection (passage rates, species identification) – Optically enhanced nocturnal surveys (passage rates, flight direction) – Optically enhanced nocturnal surveys (passage rates, flight direction) • Estimate effect • Estimate effect – Collision incident searches – Collision incident searches – Acoustic strike detection – Acoustic strike detection Multi methodological approach Multi methodological approach • Each method, by itself, is incapable of providing a comprehensive • Each method, by itself, is incapable of providing a comprehensive account of exposure or effect (e.g., radar cannot distinguish account of exposure or effect (e.g., radar cannot distinguish between birds and bats) between birds and bats) • Improves confidence in data from specific monitoring methods and • Improves confidence in data from specific monitoring methods and strengthen the overall conclusions of a study strengthen the overall conclusions of a study – Redundancy a priority recommendation from August 2006 NY – Redundancy a priority recommendation from August 2006 NY Wind/Wildlife Technical Workshop Wind/Wildlife Technical Workshop
Dual Marine Radar System Dual Marine Radar System • Two 25 kW X-band (3 cm wavelength) radar units – 6.5 foot open array antennas – Beam 1.23 � (w) x 20 � (h) • Operate simultaneously in vertical and horizontal planes Vertical scanning mode • Antenna rotates perpendicular to ground – Used to estimate (1) target altitude, (2) target passage Horizontal scanning mode • Antenna rotates parallel to ground – Used to estimate (1) target direction and velocity (2) target passage
Data Collection Data Collection • Radar processing unit sends raster image data direct to • Radar processing unit sends raster image data direct to computer computer • Frame grabber and scheduling • Frame grabber and scheduling software automate data software automate data collection collection • Five successive radar sweeps • Five successive radar sweeps (every 2.5 sec) captured as (every 2.5 sec) captured as bitmap images every 10 min bitmap images every 10 min (i.e., 30 images/hr) (i.e., 30 images/hr) • Sunset to sunrise the following • Sunset to sunrise the following morning morning • 24 Apr - 15 Jun 2007, 52 nights, ~624 hr, ~19,000 images/radar • 24 Apr - 15 Jun 2007, 52 nights, ~624 hr, ~19,000 images/radar • 01 Aug - 15 Oct 2007, 122 nights, ~1450 hr, ~45,000 images/radar • 01 Aug - 15 Oct 2007, 122 nights, ~1450 hr, ~45,000 images/radar
Radar data - vertically-oriented Targets Ground Main bang clutter Ground clutter Wind turbine Radar location Unscanned area (antenna oriented groundward) • Radar displays targets using an RGB color scale to represent 29 reflectance levels (i.e., amount of energy reflected by target) • Greens → Yellows → Reds = low → moderate → high reflectance values • Target tracking (shown in blue) for user-defined durations • Track data can be used to assess target velocity and movement direction
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