The Turbine Bat Trace project officially started under RVO EKOO Electricity 2025
As of 1 January 2026, the Turbine Bat Trace project has officially started. The project is supported by a subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) under the EKOO Electricity 2025 program and focuses on advancing BatGuardian, Dopplium’s radar-based bat detection system for wind turbines.
As of 1 January 2026, the Turbine Bat Trace project has officially started. The project is supported by a subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) under the EKOO Electricity 2025 program and focuses on advancing BatGuardian, Dopplium’s radar-based bat detection system for wind turbines.
Continuing development and testing of BatGuardian
Within this project, Dopplium is continuing the development and testing of BatGuardian. The system uses millimeter-wave radar combined with artificial intelligence to detect bats in real time in the direct vicinity of wind turbines. By identifying actual bat presence instead of relying on weather-based proxy models, BatGuardian enables targeted curtailment, protecting bats while avoiding unnecessary turbine shutdowns.
This approach addresses a key challenge in wind energy: current curtailment strategies are often conservative, leading to avoidable energy losses even when no bats are present. BatGuardian aims to improve both biodiversity protection and energy yield.
Validation and real-world deployment
The project is carried out in close collaboration with TNO and RWE.
- TNO enables independent validation of BatGuardian using advanced thermal camera systems and acoustic sensors, providing high-quality reference data for performance assessment.
- RWE enables real-world testing by providing access to an operational wind turbine at Windpark Westereems in the Eemshaven, ensuring validation under realistic operating conditions.
Measurements will take place over two bat activity seasons, resulting in a unique dataset on bat occurrence and behavior around wind turbines.
Towards nature-inclusive wind energy
In addition to onshore validation, the project advances BatGuardian towards offshore applicability. Insights gained during the field campaigns will be used to further improve robustness, durability, and performance for operation in harsher marine environments, laying the technical groundwork for future offshore use.
With this project, Dopplium contributes to the responsible expansion of wind energy by combining technological innovation with ecological validation. The results will support regulators, wind farm operators, and ecological experts in moving toward data-driven, nature-inclusive wind energy solutions.
We thank RVO, TNO, and RWE for their collaboration and trust.