| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Large-Scale Mitigation Experiment to Reduce Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities
Author: | Wildlife
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
ABSTRACT: Until large numbers of bat fatalities began to be reported at certain North American wind energy facilities, wildlife concerns regarding wind energy focused primarily on bird fatalities. Due in part to mitigation to reduce bird fatalities, bat fatalities now outnumber those of birds. To test one mitigation option aimed at reducing bat fatalities at wind energy facilities, we altered the operational parameters of 21 turbines at a site with high bat fatalities in southwestern Alberta, Canada, during the peak fatality period. By altering when turbine rotors begin turning in low winds, either by changing the wind-speed trigger at which the turbine rotors are allowed to begin turning or by altering blade angles to reduce rotor speed, blades were near motionless in low wind speeds, which resulted in a significant reduction in bat fatalities (by 60.0% or 57.5%, respectively). Although these are promising mitigation techniques, further experiments are needed to assess costs and benefits at other locations.
Erin F. Baerwald and Robert M. R. Barclay, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary
Jason Edworthy and Matt Holder, Transalta Wind, Calgary, Canada
Journal of Wildlife Management 73(7):1077–1081; 2009
DOI: 10.2193/2008-233
Download original document: “A Large-Scale Mitigation Experiment to Reduce Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities”
This material is the work of the author(s) indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this material resides with the author(s). As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Queries e-mail.
| Wind Watch relies entirely on User Contributions |
 (via Stripe) |
 (via Paypal) |
Share:
[ Short URLs: https://wind-watch.org/doc/?p=4931 | http://wndfo.net/D4931 ]
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy, Bats
