當(dāng)鳥類大量靠近時，智能攝像頭可以阻止風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)，從而減少鷹的死亡

當(dāng)鳥類大量靠近時，智能攝像頭可以阻止風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)，從而減少鷹的死亡

Renewable energy is now the cheapest energy on the planet. Countries all over the globe are rapidly converting from destructive and limited fossil fuels to wind turbines, solar power and even more creative options, including the UK which is now powered more by renewables than other sources.

可再生能源現(xiàn)在是地球上最便宜的能源。世界各地的國家都在迅速地從破壞性的、有限的化石燃料轉(zhuǎn)向風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)、太陽能，甚至是更具創(chuàng)造性的選擇，包括英國，它現(xiàn)在更多地使用可再生能源，而不是其他能源。

Despite being one of the best sources of renewable energy, wind turbines have received significant pushback from opposition that claims they kill native bird populations. It is a valid criticism – research has shown collisions with turbine blades do kill birds, albeit at a fraction of the rate fossil-fueled power plants do.

盡管風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)是最好的可再生能源之一，但它還是遭到了反對派的強(qiáng)烈反對，他們聲稱風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)會殺死當(dāng)?shù)氐镍B類。這是一個有效的批評——研究表明，與渦輪機(jī)葉片碰撞確實(shí)會導(dǎo)致鳥類死亡，盡管其死亡率只是化石燃料發(fā)電廠的一小部分。

In an attempt to minimize the ecological impact of wind turbines, a new smart camera system developed by IdentiFlight detects the presence of birds, identifies if they are endangered, and shuts down the spinning blades before impact. According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, deploying a curtailment system near a wind turbine site led to a decrease in Eagle fatalities of 82 percent, suggesting the camera systems could have a drastic effect on saving protected bird species.

為了盡量減少風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)對生態(tài)的影響，IdentiFlight公司開發(fā)了一種新的智能攝像系統(tǒng)，可以檢測鳥類的存在，識別它們是否瀕臨滅絕，并在受到影響前關(guān)閉旋轉(zhuǎn)的葉片。根據(jù)《應(yīng)用生態(tài)學(xué)雜志》上發(fā)表的一項研究，在風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)基地附近部署一個減排系統(tǒng)，可使鷹的死亡人數(shù)減少82%，這表明攝像系統(tǒng)可能對拯救受保護(hù)的鳥類物種產(chǎn)生重大影響。

Jack Dunhill

Based in Wyoming, USA, the study was independently run covering 176 wind turbines from two different sites. The authors deployed 47 automated curtailment units throughout one of the sites until the whole area was covered by August 2019. Over the study period, the authors repeatedly swept the area for eagle carcasses to compare to control and pre-study numbers.

這項研究是在美國懷俄明州獨(dú)立進(jìn)行的，涵蓋了176個來自兩個不同地點(diǎn)的風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)。作者們在其中一個地點(diǎn)部署了47個自動裁撤裝置，直到2019年8月整個地區(qū)被覆蓋。在研究期間，作者反復(fù)掃視鷹的尸體區(qū)域，與控制組和研究前的數(shù)量進(jìn)行比較。

The results demonstrated an increase in deaths in the control site from previous levels, but a significant decrease in the camera sites. Following the addition of IdentiFlight, the eagle fatalities per year dropped from around 7.5 to around 2.5, demonstrating a 62 percent decrease. The control site saw an increase in fatalities over the same period.

結(jié)果表明，對照部位的死亡率較以前水平有所增加，但攝像部位的死亡率顯著下降。在加入IdentiFlight之后，每年鷹的死亡人數(shù)從7.5%左右下降到2.5左右，下降了62%。與此同時，對照組的死亡人數(shù)有所增加。

"Avian collisions with turbine blades have been a long-time concern in the wind industry. The IdentiFlight avian detection technology was developed to address this problem and promote the successful coexistence of avian wildlife and wind energy," said Ben Quinn, Senior Vice President at IdentiFlight, in a statement.

“鳥類與渦輪機(jī)葉片的碰撞一直是風(fēng)電行業(yè)長期關(guān)注的問題。IdentiFlight公司的高級副總裁本·奎因在一份聲明中說:“IdentiFlight公司開發(fā)的鳥類探測技術(shù)就是為了解決這一問題，促進(jìn)鳥類野生動物和風(fēng)能的成功共存。”

"We now have conclusive evidence that IdentiFlight can be utilized as a mitigation and minimization solution for current and future wind projects."

“我們現(xiàn)在有確鑿的證據(jù)表明，IdentiFlight可以被用作當(dāng)前和未來風(fēng)電項目的緩解和最小化解決方案。”

The system works using a camera tower that is placed to cover multiple wind turbines in its vicinity, that can spot and track pre-set protected bird species. Using optical sensors, the towers identify incoming birds and uses artificial intelligence to determine their trajectory and speed, adjusting the turbines’ motion accordingly. IdentiFlight claims their system detects protected species from up to 1 kilometer away.

該系統(tǒng)的工作原理是使用一個攝像頭塔來覆蓋附近的多個風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)，可以發(fā)現(xiàn)和跟蹤預(yù)先設(shè)定好的受保護(hù)鳥類。利用光學(xué)傳感器，塔識別來襲的鳥類，并使用人工智能來確定它們的軌跡和速度，相應(yīng)地調(diào)整渦輪機(jī)的運(yùn)動。IdentiFlight聲稱他們的系統(tǒng)可以探測到1公里以外的受保護(hù)物種。

IdentiFlight now hopes their system, and similar systems, can be deployed on a large scale to further save protected avian species. However, it may be a difficult pill to swallow for many turbine companies, with an Identiflight system carrying a $150,000 (£110,000) installation fee plus an $8,000 maintenance fee per year, according to Bat Drone Shield’s cost analysis.

IdentiFlight現(xiàn)在希望他們的系統(tǒng)，以及類似的系統(tǒng)能夠大規(guī)模應(yīng)用，進(jìn)一步拯救受保護(hù)的鳥類物種。然而，對于許多渦輪公司來說，這可能是一個難以接受的難題，根據(jù)蝙蝠無人機(jī)盾的成本分析，一套Identiflight系統(tǒng)每年需要支付15萬美元(11萬英鎊)的安裝費(fèi)和8000美元的維護(hù)費(fèi)用。