Seasight Solutions’ technical department has developed a platform for offshore radar system to be deployed in the Ecowende wind farm Hollandse Kust 53 kilometers off the Dutch coast. The Bird Rader Swing Arm (BiRSA) is a robust and flexible platforme to install the radar system.
Advanced monitoring framework for offshore wind farms to protect wildlife
In a joint venture with Shell, Chubu, and Eneco, Ecowende wished to implement the most advanced framework for monitoring birds and bats at offshore wind farms.
The complex project, involving the deployment of Robin Radar’s MAX® bird and bat radar systems, DHI’s sensor integration and AI species recognition solution MUSE, and MIDO’s power-generating floating platform FLORA, needed a stable and reliable platform for the radar systems, contributing to the project’s goal of minimal impact on the natural habitat of birds, bats, and marine mammals.
A robust and flexible solution for supporting bird radar systems
Developed and manufactured by Seasight Solutions, the BiRSA – Bird Radar Swing Arm – is a custom-made structure engineered to withstand harsh environmental conditions, ensuring optimal performance and longevity in offshore environments.
The Bird Radar Swing Arm is exclusively designed to support radar systems, providing a stable and secure platform for radar operations.
It is mounted on the monopile top platform and can rotate over the pivot column, allowing for flexible positioning between 0° and 182° clockwise and 125° anticlockwise. This rotation is achieved through a slewing drive handle, which is self-locking when not in use, ensuring the radar remains in the desired position.
Key specifications of the Bird Radar Swing Arm include a weight of 633 kg, a height of 2000 mm, and a length of 2970 mm.
It operates efficiently within an ambient temperature range of -10°C to +45°C and can withstand maximum wind speeds of 17 m/s when the radar is activated (and 51.5 m/s when deactivated)
In summary, the BiRSA – Bird Radar Swing Arm is a versatile, robust, and reliable solution for supporting radar systems.
Steven Zijp, Engineering Manager at Ecowende: “Ecowende is grateful for its partnership with SeaSight. Through active collaboration, both parties have successfully transformed the concept of the Bird Radar Swing Arm into a mature design—and now into a tangible structure ready for offshore deployment. We are very excited to install our bird radar system on top of SeaSight’s Swing Arm. This radar will support Ecowende in getting a clear picture of the offshore species in the wind farm zone, by monitoring the size, speed, height, location and flight path for each bird or bat it detects – a crucial step in achieving our ecological ambitions.”
The Ecowende project
Ecowende, a joint venture of Shell, Chubu, and Eneco, is implementing the most advanced framework for monitoring birds and bats at offshore wind farms.
The many advanced technologies deployed in the project will be used to monitor and assess the impact of the wind farm on ecology, setting a new ecological standard for offshore wind farms.
The Bird Radar Swing Arm (BiRSA) plays an important role in this initiative by providing a stable and reliable platform for the radar systems, contributing to the project’s goal of minimal impact on the natural habitat of birds, bats, and marine mammals.
At Seasight Solutions we’re proud to be able to contribute with our skilled engineers and experienced project managers to projects that promotes both renewable energy and wildlife.
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Anders Karlsson, Head of Sales
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Phone: +45 4188 4965
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