Shutdown on Demand for the mitigation of bird collision risk at onshore wind farms in South Africa

Smallie, J.; Froneman, A.; Smith, D.; Mulvaney, J. (2025). Shutdown on Demand for the mitigation of bird collision risk at onshore wind farms in South Africa. Report by BirdLife South Africa.

@techreport{Smallie-2025-,
author = {Smallie, J and Froneman, A and Smith, D and Mulvaney, J},
title = {Shutdown on Demand for the mitigation of bird collision risk at onshore wind farms in South Africa},
institution = {BirdLife South Africa},
year = {2025},
month = {jun},
address = {Johannesburg, South Africa},
url = {https://www.birdlife.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SDOD-Handbook-BirdLIfe-SA-June-2025.pdf},
keywords = {Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Collision, Birds},
}

Export Citation to BibTex

TY - RPRT
TI - Shutdown on Demand for the mitigation of bird collision risk at onshore wind farms in South Africa
AU - Smallie, J
AU - Froneman, A
AU - Smith, D
AU - Mulvaney, J
AB - The harnessing of wind energy is rapidly emerging as an alternative to the burning of fossil fuels in the South African energy sector and although the market is globally well established, the technology is relatively novel locally. Wind energy was first introduced to the country in 2002 with three small pilot turbines at the Western Cape’s Klipheuwel Wind Farm (www.thewindpower.net). Currently, 1 411 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 3 426 MW are operational across 34 wind farms nationally (South African Wind Energy Association, SAWEA, August 2024). Procuring at least 20 000 MW of renewable energy by 2030 is a core objective of the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP, www.gov.za) on the pathway to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.Wind energy affords substantial environmental advantages over the use of fossil fuels, although it also presents its own ecological challenges including, in particular, fatal turbine collision risk to birds. Demographic impacts imposed by wind turbines on birds have been noted both globally (Orloff and Flannery 1992; Hunt et al. 1998; Smallwood and Thelander 2005; Drewitt and Langston 2006; Sovacool 2009) and in South Africa (Ralston-Paton et al. 2017; Perold et al. 2020; Simmons and Martins 2024a), with many of the bird species most susceptible to turbine collision mortalities being those already at risk of extinction. Given that numerous new applications for wind farm authorisations are being processed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) each year, the interface between turbines and birds will continue to expand across the country for the foreseeable future. Consequently, both operational and prospective wind farms must mitigate against bird mortality impacts pre-emptively and adaptively in accordance with the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA, www.dffe.gov.za) ‘Duty of Care’ principle (Section 28), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Management Programmes (EMPr), Environmental Authorisation (EA) conditions, Avifaunal Specialist recommendations, lender requirements, or simply the operator’s commitment to sustainability.Shutdown on Demand (SDoD) is a promising mitigative strategy involving the temporary shutdown of wind turbine operation to reduce the risk of bird–turbine collisions. Incoming priority birds are detected by human observers (Observer-led Shutdown on Demand or OSDoD) or by cameras and/or radar (Automated Shutdown on Demand or ASDoD). Turbines that have a high likelihood of causing bird fatalities are then shut down until the bird has departed the risk zone. As of mid-2024, OSDoD Programmes of varying duration have been established at five wind farms in South Africa: Dorper, Excelsior, Jeffreys Bay, Golden Valley and Roggeveld.While SDoD may prove effective from an avifaunal preservation perspective, start-up and operational expenses associated with this mitigation, as well as the ensuing revenue loss due to periodic interruptions in power production, present possible drawbacks for wind farm operators. For renewable energy solutions and bird conservation to co-exist sustainably, the strategies employed to protect birds must be informed, dynamic and, ultimately, cost-effective.This handbook aims to guide practitioners on the implementation of effective SDoD at onshore wind farms in South Africa, with extended applicability to elsewhere in Africa and beyond. The intended audience of this handbook is Avifaunal Specialists, Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs), government officials, wind farm developers and operators, and other industry stakeholders. To this end, the report considers available local and international SDoD research and experience in the context of South African wind farms and bird species. Interviews were conducted with representatives from local wind farms already employing SDoD to identify common challenges that arise in situ, as well as representatives of automated SDoD system suppliers to gain insights into the present capabilities of these technologies. A workshop with the South African target audience was also held to obtain collaborative input from across the intended readership of this handbook. To the authors’ best knowledge, this handbook stands as the first of its kind for the African continent.
CY - Johannesburg, South Africa
DA - 2025/06//
PY - 2025
SP - 51
PB - BirdLife South Africa
UR - https://www.birdlife.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SDOD-Handbook-BirdLIfe-SA-June-2025.pdf
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Collision
KW - Birds
ER -

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Abstract

The harnessing of wind energy is rapidly emerging as an alternative to the burning of fossil fuels in the South African energy sector and although the market is globally well established, the technology is relatively novel locally. Wind energy was first introduced to the country in 2002 with three small pilot turbines at the Western Cape’s Klipheuwel Wind Farm (www.thewindpower.net). Currently, 1 411 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 3 426 MW are operational across 34 wind farms nationally (South African Wind Energy Association, SAWEA, August 2024). Procuring at least 20 000 MW of renewable energy by 2030 is a core objective of the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP, www.gov.za) on the pathway to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Wind energy affords substantial environmental advantages over the use of fossil fuels, although it also presents its own ecological challenges including, in particular, fatal turbine collision risk to birds. Demographic impacts imposed by wind turbines on birds have been noted both globally (Orloff and Flannery 1992; Hunt et al. 1998; Smallwood and Thelander 2005; Drewitt and Langston 2006; Sovacool 2009) and in South Africa (Ralston-Paton et al. 2017; Perold et al. 2020; Simmons and Martins 2024a), with many of the bird species most susceptible to turbine collision mortalities being those already at risk of extinction. Given that numerous new applications for wind farm authorisations are being processed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) each year, the interface between turbines and birds will continue to expand across the country for the foreseeable future. Consequently, both operational and prospective wind farms must mitigate against bird mortality impacts pre-emptively and adaptively in accordance with the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA, www.dffe.gov.za) ‘Duty of Care’ principle (Section 28), Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Environmental Management Programmes (EMPr), Environmental Authorisation (EA) conditions, Avifaunal Specialist recommendations, lender requirements, or simply the operator’s commitment to sustainability.

Shutdown on Demand (SDoD) is a promising mitigative strategy involving the temporary shutdown of wind turbine operation to reduce the risk of bird–turbine collisions. Incoming priority birds are detected by human observers (Observer-led Shutdown on Demand or OSDoD) or by cameras and/or radar (Automated Shutdown on Demand or ASDoD). Turbines that have a high likelihood of causing bird fatalities are then shut down until the bird has departed the risk zone. As of mid-2024, OSDoD Programmes of varying duration have been established at five wind farms in South Africa: Dorper, Excelsior, Jeffreys Bay, Golden Valley and Roggeveld.

While SDoD may prove effective from an avifaunal preservation perspective, start-up and operational expenses associated with this mitigation, as well as the ensuing revenue loss due to periodic interruptions in power production, present possible drawbacks for wind farm operators. For renewable energy solutions and bird conservation to co-exist sustainably, the strategies employed to protect birds must be informed, dynamic and, ultimately, cost-effective.

This handbook aims to guide practitioners on the implementation of effective SDoD at onshore wind farms in South Africa, with extended applicability to elsewhere in Africa and beyond. The intended audience of this handbook is Avifaunal Specialists, Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs), government officials, wind farm developers and operators, and other industry stakeholders. To this end, the report considers available local and international SDoD research and experience in the context of South African wind farms and bird species. Interviews were conducted with representatives from local wind farms already employing SDoD to identify common challenges that arise in situ, as well as representatives of automated SDoD system suppliers to gain insights into the present capabilities of these technologies. A workshop with the South African target audience was also held to obtain collaborative input from across the intended readership of this handbook. To the authors’ best knowledge, this handbook stands as the first of its kind for the African continent.