Wildlife Technology Research and Development
NREL's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) supports wildlife technology research validation designed to reduce bird and bat fatalities at wind energy projects while providing regulatory agencies and developers with a higher level of confidence that mitigation measures will have their desired effectiveness.
Participating in Wildlife Technology R&D at the NWTC
The NWTC is focusing its latest research and development efforts on proving feasibility through prototype technology demonstration on the site. The research provided at the NWTC will serve as a pipeline to the American Wind Wildlife Institute’s (AWWI's) technology verification program and similar efforts aimed at supporting commercialization.
Weather Conditions at the NWTC
NWTC is an extreme-event research site, allowing researchers to perform a range of validation over the course of a year. Summers allow for apparatus installation and calibration, while winters—which can come with exceptional high turbulence—allows for testing of devices at design margins. See the current weather conditions at the NWTC.
Important Events
November 29–December 2
National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC) Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XI
The NWCC is an open collaborative facilitated and managed by AWWI and co-funded by AWWI and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office through NREL. Staff from the NWTC will share information on the site's capabilities through a poster presentation and demonstrations at the NREL booth.
March 20, 2017
Pre-Conference Seminar at the American Wind Energy Association's Wind Siting and Environmental Compliance Conference
NREL will support an information exchange to determine industry support needs for wind wildlife detection and deterrent technology development for wind energy deployment.
May 2017
NWTC Wind Wildlife Technology Research and Development Open House
Topics will include information sharing on NREL’s wind wildlife research and collaborative improvement approach (for lower technology-readiness-level detection and deterrent devices) along with site tours.
Interested in participating in wind wildlife technology research and development?
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