Case Study: California Energy Commission reduces wildlife impact at wind farms with Cognite Data Fusion

How Cognite Data Fusion™ Helps Wind Farm Operators Reduce Impact on Wildlife

The California Energy Commission partnered with Cognite and Aker Solutions to address a major challenge for wind farms: reducing the impact of turbines on wildlife and local ecosystems. The issue includes bird and bat collisions, as well as other environmental risks during both site assessment and ongoing operations. Cognite Data Fusion™ was used as the digital foundation for the project.

Cognite and Aker Solutions implemented the NextWind Real Time Condition Monitoring project, using live data streaming, computer vision, vibration data, and acoustic data to monitor wildlife and environmental conditions. The solution can detect birds, bats, and marine life risks, enabling automated turbine shutdowns or slowdowns and rescue actions when needed. The case study reports a reduced number of bird and bat deaths and an estimated 21% reduction in overall operational expenses.

California Energy Commission