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Advancing understanding of seabird collision risk using AI

Existing technologies have fallen short in documenting three dimensional flight tracks of seabirds near wind turbines, as shown by the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) seabird study.

Short facts

Aberdeen Bay, Scotland
Seabirds
Trialling camera and AI based system to track seabirds in close vicinity of wind turbines and document collisions.
2023–2025

Accurate, objective evidence on close-range behaviour is crucial for reliably predicting collision risks for new wind farms.

To address this gap, a collaborative project was initiated with the Norwegian start-up spoor.ai to trial innovative technology that combines video cameras with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) provided scientific validation, and a panel of key stakeholder experts was established to ensure high-quality outcomes.

The results showed significant potential for the technology and opportunities for further improvement (Read more here). Following this trial, further data was collected and 19 months of video data analysed to document seabird collision numbers at one of the Aberdeen wind farm turbines.

No collisions were observed, a finding that was corroborated by collision risk calculations based on observed seabird activity, which estimated that far fewer than one collision would have been expected during this time period.

More about biodiversity

Biodiversity and nature protection are a priority at Vattenfall. It is one of the focus areas in our environmental policy and therefore also a central part in our environmental work.