DeTect provides advanced and proven radar technologies to project developers, owners, operators and environmental consultants for bird and bat survey, mortality risk assessment, monitoring and risk mitigation for wind energy projects worldwide. DeTect's advanced radar technologies and related services in support of wind energy projects include:

• NEXRAD pre-screening site assessment
• Bird & Bat radar systems – terrestrial and offshore
• Bat survey radars
• Avian radar data processing, analysis & reporting
• Bird & bat mortality risk assessment
• Mortality risk mitigation radar systems

Bird & Bat Radar Technologies from DeTect

DeTect is the developer and manufacturer of the MERLIN Avian Radar System, the most advanced and proven bird radar system available for wind energy project avian survey, risk assessment, monitoring and real-time risk mitigation with over 90 systems operating worldwide. The MERLIN technology was originally developed for the US Air Force and NASA as a precision bird detection radar system to provide real-time information to controllers and launch managers to reduce bird-aircraft strike risk. MERLIN technology is highly automated providing unattended 24-7 collection of high quality data on bird activity at proposed windfarm sites that can be used to develop detailed pre-construction risk projections.

With the optional MERLIN SCADA software, the MERLIN system can be used at operating wind farms to function as an "early warning" system providing advance detection of bird activity that presents mortality risk, automatically engaging response mitigation actions up to and including idling of turbines until the risk passes. DeTect provides full operational and technical support to wind farm owners, developers, operators and consultants for the MERLIN, VESPER and BirdMap NEXRAD bird and bat radar technologies that includes system deployment, operation, user training, and data processing, analysis, reporting and QA/QC. Staff specialists include highly experienced radar ornithologists, avian biologists and statisticians that includes the most experienced team of experts in remote sensing of birds and bats in the world - with specific expertise in design, construction and operation of bird/wildlife detection systems for real-time aviation safety and environmental management. To view the video produced by the US State of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on the use of MERLIN SCADA at Texas coastal windfarms, CLICK HERE (video will open in a separate window; approx. 10 minutes long).

BirdMap™ NEXRAD Pre-screening Risk Assessment

BirdMap™ is a GIS-based system that uses processed radar data from the US NEXRAD weather radar network to provide current and historical avian population density and seasonality data on virtually any site in the continental US, Alaska and Hawaii, including most coastal and offshore resource areas.

MERLIN™ Avian Radar System

MERLIN provides the most cost-effective, scientifically sound, and complete method for collection of high-quality, statistically superior data on bird and bat movements at proposed wind turbine project locations - for both on-shore and off-shore wind turbine installations. MERLIN , originally developed for the demanding aviation safety application, is the most advanced and proven technology available for bird and bat surveys with over 40 systems operating at windfarms in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Africa and New Zealand. DeTect has extensive expertise and experience that the only company with experience in conducting major multi-year, continuous avian radar studies for offshore windfarms. All 2012 model units include solid-state radar technology with Doppler processing and custom bird mode waveforms that were developed specifically for detection and tracking of birds and bats. Using state-of-the-art radar and computer techniques developed specifically for detecting and tracking the unique behavioral characteristics of birds and bats, MERLIN collects data continuously and automatically under a variety of conditions generating highly accurate, detailed datasets for analysis and for use in project decision-making and permitting.

The MERLIN system information display is fully remotely viewable and controllable in real-time via LAN, satellite and WWAN (cellular) datalinks and can operate 24-7 for extending periods unattended. Data is also archived to the on-board MERLIN SQL server system providing a permanent record for each project and t support detailed analysis and modeling to develop quantitative mortality risk projections. All system settings are accessible via on-screen GUIs.

Advantages of the MERLIN Technology

The MERLIN system is the most advanced technology for wind energy projects and offers significant benefits over conventional visual and manual radar ornithology avian survey techniques:

• Larger datasets of highly accurate data on bird & bat passage rates
• Detailed height & count data for the rotor swept zone
• Defines flight patterns across the wind resource area
• Quantitative determination of mortality risk
• Data archived for future reference
• Highly defensible, statistically-reliable data
• Supports real-time, automated mortality risk mitigation

The MERLIN™ Avian Radar System is the most powerful tool available for assessment of proposed wind energy projects and generates a detailed dataset that can be used to accurately determine the numbers of bird and bats transiting a proposed project site within the rotor swept areas under day, night and low visibility conditions. DeTect’s proprietary Data Analyzer program generates detailed datasets in both tabular and graphical formats quantifying the numbers of birds passing through the rotor swept area allowing precise calculation and determination of bird and bat mortality risk.

VESPER Fixed-beam Vertical Profile Bird & Bat Radar

DeTect developed the VESPER Fixed-Beam Vertical Profile Radar based to provide species differentiation and identification or birds and bats based on measurement of wingbeat frequency of bird, bat and insect targets as they pass through the beam.  The beam widths sufficiently wide to allow even large, slow flapping targets to reside in the beam for several seconds allowing for accurate measurement.  This VESPER system is capable of being operated independently or in concert with a MERLIN bird radar system to provide specific data on the type of target that has been detected, (i.e. bird, bat or insect) and will allow inclusion and measurement of insect data for improved bird and bat mortality risks models and mitigation strategies for wind farms.

Current radar survey techniques eliminate insect targets in radar data to prevent overstating bird counts, however, by rejecting insect data rather than classifying it, important data are lost.  As an example, for a wind turbine site if insects occur at the highest densities below the rotor-swept height, it is likely that foraging bats would adopt a strategy that would place them below the rotor-swept area.  A radar that can effectively and automatically discriminate birds, bats and insects provides important information on bat migration relative to insect rich layers in the atmosphere. It is possible that bat mortality with respect to wind turbines is highest where these insect layers intersect with the rotor swept zone of the turbine and this technology can be definitive in defining this relationship at windfarm sites. In addition to providing improved risk assessment data, the VESPER technology has an operational application.  For example, it is known that the majority of bat kills occur in a narrow time period in the fall (approximately two weeks).  It is also known that a wind turbine with feathered blades kills few, if any, bats.  In this instance the VESPER can be used as a monitoring and mitigation tool for operating the wind farm with DeTect's SCADA interface software. 

MERLIN SCADA Bird & Bat Mortality Risk Mitigation Systems:

DeTect is the industry leader in advanced technologies for real-time detection and management of bird and bat mortality risk at wind farms. For operating windfarms, DeTect's MERLIN SCADA functionality allows the MERLIN system and VESPER VPR to operate as a monitoring and risk mitigation system.

MERLIN SCADA provides advance "early" warning (out to 4-6 miles) to the windfarm operators of approaching migratory or local birds and bats under mortality risk conditions. The system operates autonomously, automatically idling individual, groups or all turbines when risk conditions are detected by the MERLIN or VESPER system, restarting the turbines when the risk has abated. In recognition of DeTect's contribution to environmentally sustainable design engineering, MERLIN SCADA was awarded a Green Dot award in 2008. The MERLIN SCADA operating software is fully compatible with all wind farm SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems and DeTect provides full integration and operational startup support. MERLIN SCADA can also be configured to mitigate raptor raptor risk using DeTect's turbine centric technology to automatically idle individual turbines when raptor activity consistent with mortality risk is detected. The VESPER technology similarly provides advance detection of bat mortality risk conditions allowing operators to idle turbines or, with the DeTect's SCADA communication software provide automatic turbine shut down and restart. To view the video produced by the US State of Texas Parks & Wildlife Department on the use of MERLIN SCADA at Texas coastal windfarms, CLICK HERE (video will open in a separate window; approx. 10 minutes long).

System Design & Configuration :

DeTect's bird and bat radar systems are available as fully- mobile, self-contained systems with on-board control cabin, power system, and include all hardware and software for bird and bat tracking, clutter suppression, and data recording. Custom configurations, including fully remote controlled offshore installations, can also be provided that incorporate additional sensors such as thermal cameras, bat detectors, insect detectors and vertical profilers. Systems are available for short-term rental, long-term lease, lease-purchase, or for sale from DeTect, both with and without DeTect operators and DeTect provides complete technical support from survey through data analysis and a complete parts and labor warranty.