INnovative mitigation Tools for Avian Conflicts with wind Turbines - INTACT

The primary objective for INTACT was to develop measures and procedures to reduce the risk of bird ? wind turbine collisions. The main focus of the research was to test promising deterrent measures and develop tools to facilitate this, and to test and refine micro-siting tools. The main location for testing the mitigation measures has been Statkraft's wind-farm at Smøla; the largest wind-farm in Norway. The Smøla wind-farm is a perfect laboratory for experimental research, due to the baseline knowledge gained through BirdWind and subsequent monitoring. The main activities in INTACT included: * Experimentally test (in-situ) visual mitigation measures to reduce bird collisions * Develop a model for post-construction operational adjustment of cut-in speeds * Develop a stand-alone GIS micro-siting tool to designate risky turbine locations * Assess the feasibility of using a UV light-fence to deter birds from wind turbines The tools and measures developed and tested at the onshore Smøla wind-power plant were designed to enable transference for development of wind energy offshore. The realisation of the R&D results can improve the quality of wind-power development by reducing possible environmental consequences during the pre-construction planning phase (micro-siting tools) and post-construction operation (mitigation measures), shortening of the planning processes and better utilization of sites. The consequent reduced economic costs, increased social acceptance and decreased environmental impact, signifies a potential value creation for the developer but also increased production of renewable energy for society. INTACT is of interest to the whole wind-industry both on- and offshore in Norway and worldwide. This is underlined by the fact that Energy Norway took on the role of project-owner, and that main players such as Statoil, Vattenfall, TrønderEnergi, NVE and The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) were project-partners. The Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) has participated in the role as observer.. In the day-to-day follow-up of INTACT Statkraft, represented by Bjørn Iuell, has been the main industry-representative. Energy Norway, represented by Solgun Furnes, was the project owner and administrator. NINA, represented by senior research scientist Roel May, was R&D lead in the project. With a project period from 2013-2017 and a budget of around 10 million NOK, half of which came from the industry in terms of financial contributions and workhours, and half from The Research Council of Norway (RCN). The main conclusions are as follows: * Contrast painting * Blades: Significantly reduced collisions. However the effects on the birds' flightpatterns are more complicated. * Bases: The number of collisions is significantly reduced for willow ptarmigans. The probability for collisions is overall greatly reduced. * Modell for operational adjustments: Analysis of long term data from the bird-radar show a significantly reduced risk of collisions (30-50%) if the cut-in speed is increased to 4 m/s without a large reduction in production. The optimum needs more investigation. There is however no pattern throughout the 24hour daily cycle except for October, probably because of the autumn-migration. * GIS "Micro-siting" tool for pre-construction investigations and placement of turbines. The tool estimates the orographic and thermal lift provided by the landscape corresponds well to the preferred locations for birds of prey. White-tailed Eagles preferred areas with higher orographic lift. * UV-light as deterrence: Seabirds had a significant reaction to violet and ultraviolet light by increasing the altitude of flight when the lights were on. But as the effect is relatively small a much higher strength of the UV light than what was tested would be necessary. This would however greatly increase the risk of negative health-effects on the eyesight of humans and birds. It could also attract insects, and thereby possibly also birds and bats. This mitigation measure should not be implemented without further research. There has been a significant interest in INTACT from the industry, as demonstrated by media coverage in Norway and internationally, contacts from other industry players in Europe and the USA, and invitations to present at meetings and events. INTACT has submitted several scientific papers and delivered a host of presentations. An information brochure was produced at the start of the project, and an information-brochure presenting the results to the public is being produced, as well as a final report summarizing INTACT and results. The results from INTACT were presented to the Norwegian wind-industry at the main annual event in Norway: NVEs Vindkraftseminar 6-7.juni 2017. The results were presented internationally at the main relevant event: Conference on Wind energy and Wildlife impacts (CWW), held in Estoril, Portugal, September 6-8, 2017.

Over the last 20 years it has been stressed that several ecological impacts need to be considered when assessing wind energy. Bird mortality caused by wind turbines has been one of the main focuses. Because of the fast rate of wind power development in co astal areas it has become a challenge to assess impacts on birdlife and construe ways to minimize these. Development of effective and practical measures to reduce bird mortality related to offshore and onshore wind power is therefore paramount to avoid an y consenting delay. The project "INnovative mitigation Tools for Avian Conflicts with wind Turbines" (INTACT) aims to develop tools to reduce bird-associated impacts connected with wind energy. This specifically includes: * micro-siting tools for pre-con struction EIAs and monitoring * in-situ testing of measures for reducing the risk of bird collisions * building a model for post-construction operational adjustment of cut-in speeds INTACT has conducted a desk top study reviewing a wide range of relevan t trials, tests and experiments of mitigation and deterrent measures aiming at reducing the risk of birds colliding with wind turbines. The mitigation measures to be tested in the project include contrast paint on rotor blades and turbine towers and UV-li ght, all aimed at making the wind turbines more visible to birds. To be able to test the efficiency of such measures especially adapted methods are required, consisting of a combination of avian radar, birds equipped with GPS, video detection, and visual observations. The perceived tools and measures, to be developed and tested at the onshore Smøla wind power plant in Norway, are envisioned to enable transference for development of wind energy offshore. Partners: Energy Norway AS (lead institution), Sta tkraft Development AS (project coordination), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) (scientific coordination), Statoil, Vattenfall, TrønderEnergi Kraft, NVE, Energy Norway. Also, DN is invited as observer.