Transcript 4-Harper-birds and powerlinesx

EE 392 Stewardship
Transmission Towers, Power
Lines & Birds
David Dukes
Michael Harper
Basic Facts
 Not only costly to birds but costly to power companies
 Actual statistics on bird death are hard to calculate
 US Forest Service estimates power lines to kill hundreds of
thousands to 175 million birds per year
 10.7% of line outages are due to birds
 60% of bird deaths are from collisions with the overhead
shield wire (OHSW) or optical ground wire (OPGW)
 Power lines are estimated to electrocute tens of thousands
to hundreds of thousands annually
 Most of these electrocutions occur on distribution lines as
opposed to transmission lines as the phases are spaced
closer together
 Birds like to use transmission structures as perches. It is
common for osprey to build their nests on these structures.
Prevention Methods
 Perch Preventers
 Flight Diverters
 Nesting Platforms
 Spiral Vibration Dampers (SVDs)
 GreenJacket Cover Up
 Removal of bird trap structures
Zena Bird Perch
Preventers
 Prevent birds from
perching and
nesting on power
structures
 Reduces bird deaths
 Reduces power
outages
 Environmentally
friendly
 Zenadesign.com
FireFly Bird Flight Diverter

Reflective tag hung on
OHSW or OPGW to
increase visibility

Can also be installed on
side guys and bridle guys

Glows in low light
conditions for up to 12
hours

Rotates on the line in the
wind

Installed live

Pr-tech.com
Preformed Bird
Flight Diverters

Increases visibility to
reduce the number of bird
collisions with power lines

Installed on OHSW or
OPGW for high voltage
applications

Can be installed directly on
live conductors in low
voltage applications

Also acts as a damper to
reduced vibrations in the
line

Preformed.com
Nesting Platforms
 Separate structures built away from power lines give birds a
safer place to perch and nest
 Similar designs to the one below have been made in which bird
or even owl houses can be hung from the structure
 Often constructed from salvaged power line material to cut
costs
Bird Trap Structures
 Power structures like the
one to the right are
dangerous for birds
 This design is mostly seen
on distribution lines or
lower voltage transmission
lines (69kV)
 Birds can perch on the
lower cross arm and when
they fly away are at a
greater risk of colliding
with 2 of the higher phases
 Removal of structures like
these will lead to less bird
electrocutions
 Alternative designs have
been created
Cantega GreenJacket Cover Up – “It fits”
 20% of substation
outages are caused by
wildlife prior to
installation
 After installation
outages and wild life
fatality were greatly
reduced
 Offers a solution to
cover up energized
areas in substations
 Standard cover up
available or they will
come to your
substation and provide
a custom solution
based on your needs
 Live Installation
 Cantega.com
References
-
AltaLink (http://www.altalink.ca)
-
US Forestry Department (http://www.fs.fed.us)
-
Cantega Industries (http://www.cantega.com)
-
Preformed Line Products
(http://www.preformed.com)
-
PR Tech (http://www.pr-tech.com)
-
Zena Design (http://www.zenadesign.com)
-
Analysis of Factors Contributing To Unexplained
Transmission Line Faults on a High Voltage
Transmission Network (Bekker, Hoch)