The “Top of the World” sounds like the perfect spot to build a wind farm.
This was the plan in Wyoming, where the wind howls with a dependable pattern.
The end result was a span of 110 turbines, and it was technology for the win. But the skies weren’t as empty as they appeared, and a dangerous situation couldn’t be avoided.
What war is unfolding between the turbines and the eagles in the battlefield of the sky?
Why relentless winds and open ground were not enough
Converse County, Wyoming’s relentless winds caught the eye of developers who realized the potential for green energy harvesting.
This is how the Top of the World Windpower Project was born. The massive installation covers 17,000 acres of terrain.
Each steel tower reaches 300 feet into the air. The blades stretch more than 200 feet across and move at lethal speeds.
The volume of clean electricity generated is something to marvel at, renewably powering thousands of homes.
From a distance, it appeared to be a victory in the fight against global warming. But engineers overlooked something critical: the land may have been empty, but the skies were not.
It turns out that the high-altitude wind currents were attractive to users other than humans. And these users were there long before we were.
What clash with wildlife ended up being caused by our greater good intentions?
A conflict realized too late
After the wind farm started operating, environmental monitoring soon made it clear that a critical conflict had been created.
This exact location was highly problematic, literally and figuratively.
The area is a vital habitat for two types of eagles: bald and golden. Their population is dense, and they’ve exploited these high winds for longer than we know.
The initial data was frightening, and environmental groups were up in arms. The rate of eagle mortalities was alarmingly high.
The crisis reached legal levels under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
Under the Eagle Conservation Plan, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service got involved and mandated immediate action to minimize the risk of eagle deaths.
The first attempt involved manual tracking. It was a heavy process involving human observers with binoculars who had to sit and watch the sky all day.
If an eagle was spotted close to the blades, the observer triggered an emergency slowdown of the blades.
It was not effective, unfortunately, because humans are prone to fatigue, glare, and other factors causing low visibility.
The race to find a solution was intense. What resolution did engineers eventually come up with?
Technology for the win: Automation was the answer
An innovative system called IdentiFlight is the hero of the day
It makes sure that the blades stop spinning automatically when an eagle gets too close.
Multi-camera towers cover the project’s entire 17,000 acres. The advanced tech involves optical sensors that continuously scan the sky across 360 degrees.
When motion is detected, high-resolution cameras instantly zoom in on the flying object and track its path.
Then artificial intelligence gets involved, processing the images in real time.
Sophisticated algorithms to evaluate silhouettes and flight behavior
The system is smart enough to tell the difference between protected eagles and non-threatened species instantly.
If an eagle enters the danger zone, IdentiFlight sends a command to the farm’s control software. Only the threatening turbines are shut down, so downtime is minimized.
IdentiFlight was responsible for a significant 80% reduction in collision risk.
With some ingenuity and planning, renewable energy infrastructure can be aligned with wildlife protection goals.
This new era of AI is opening up new opportunities for clean energy and conservation to up their game.