Towards Localization and Classification of Birds and Bats in Windparks Using Multiple FMCW-Radars at Ka-Band

Abstract

Birds and bats are at risk when they are flying near wind turbines (WT). Hence, a protection of bats and birds is postulated to reduce their mortality, e.g., due to collisions with the rotor-blades. The use of radar technology for monitoring wind energy installations is becoming increasingly attractive for WT operators, as it offers many advantages over other sensor systems. Timely localization and classification of the approaching animal species is very crucial about the reaction measures for collision avoidance. In this work, a localization, classification, and flight path prediction technique has been developed and tested based on simulated radar signals. This allowed us to classify three different birds and one bat species with an accuracy of 90.18%. For accurate localization and target tracking, five frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars operating in Ka-Band were placed on the tower of the WT for 360◦ monitoring of the WT.