Current:Home > FinanceWhen do bird and bat deaths from wind turbines peak? Fatalities studied to reduce harm -FinanceMind
When do bird and bat deaths from wind turbines peak? Fatalities studied to reduce harm
View
Date:2025-04-11 14:44:16
New research could help reduce bat and bird fatalities at wind farms in the United States.
According to the analysis published in PLOS One earlier this year, bat fatalities at wind farms peak in certain seasons.The research comes amid growing concern that an increase of wind farms for renewable energy is jeopardizing bird populations.
The analyzed database — developed by the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) to help researchers understand the scope of these fatalities and ripple effects on the larger populations — draws from the American Wind Wildlife Information Center’s post-construction bird and bat fatality data, collected between 2009 – 2021 across 248 operating wind facilities (nearly a third of installed U.S. wind farms). REWI provides “the most detailed, geographically extensive data set of its kind,” according to authors of the study.
To help reduce fatalities, researchers must first understand why birds and bats collide with turbines in the first place, authors wrote. Previous research has looked into the seasonal patterns in collision fatality rates in a smaller geographical scale.
More:Whale deaths exploited in 'cynical disinformation' campaign against offshore wind power, advocates say
“Collision fatalities among birds and bats have been an incidental effect of wind energy since the first large-scale deployments of wind turbines,” authors wrote. “Several decades later, minimizing collision fatalities while maximizing energy production remains a key challenge in efforts to reconcile wildlife conservation with the rapid increase in wind energy that is needed to slow global warming.”
Patterns of bird and bat wind turbine deaths
The most common bat and bird species to collide with turbines are migratory — meaning they travel long distances seasonally — and fatalities peak during seasonal migration, according to the study. It's difficult to get true estimates of species- or family-specific patterns due to relatively small sample sizes, according to authors.
- Bird fatalities peak with spring (May) and autumn (September) migration, although fatalities appear to be more common in autumn compared to spring.
- Like birds, most of the bats killed in collisions with wind turbines undertake seasonal migrations; however, most bat fatalities peak once for a lengthier period of time: from mid- to late summer until early autumn (mid-July to early September) corresponding with migration to wintering areas and mating periods.
- Adjusted fatality rates of bats are highest at wind energy facilities in the upper Midwest and eastern forests.
- Although it is difficult to track specific bat species, some may have differing migratory patterns, meaning fatality rates for specific species could peak later in the year.
“Apparent differences in timing highlight the need to consider species-specific behaviors as an additional element of (wind turbine) risk,” authors stated.
More:About 150 eagles killed by wind turbines; company to pay millions after guilty plea
According to a report by the Associated Press published last month and reporting from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, part of USA TODAY Network, officials ramped up issuing permits in recent years that will allow wind energy companies to kill thousands of eagles without legal consequence. Data obtained by AP from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed a falloff in enforcement of protection laws for killing or harming protected bald and golden eagles, which began during former President Trump's administration.
The outlet’s findings highlight an ongoing dilemma for officials who must weigh the tradeoffs of clean power development as more birds die from collisions.
“They are rolling over backwards for wind companies,” Mike Lockhart, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, told the AP. “I think they are killing a hell of a lot more eagles than they ever anticipated.”
According to AP, some wind farm companies have relocated turbines or reduced their numbers to minimize deaths. At the same time, President Biden’s administration has a pending proposal that would further streamline permits that would allow wind-energy projects and power line networks to harm eagles and disturb their nests.
veryGood! (95524)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Model Nichole Coats Found Dead at 32
- Pennsylvania wants to make it easier to register to vote when drivers get or renew a license
- How a rural Alabama school system outdid the country with gains in math
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Jada Pinkett Smith Celebrates Her Birthday With a Sherbet Surprise Hair Transformation
- Rep. Jennifer Wexton won't seek reelection due to new diagnosis: There is no 'getting better'
- Syria’s Assad to head to China as Beijing boosts its reach in the Middle East
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Azerbaijan announces an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ targeting Armenian military positions
Ranking
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Tiger Woods' ex-girlfriend files 53-page brief in effort to revive public lawsuit
- 'We're going to wreck their economy:' UAW president Shawn Fain has a plan. Will it work?
- Alabama Barker Reveals the Best Beauty Advice Stepmom Kourtney Kardashian Has Given Her
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Model Maleesa Mooney Found Dead at 31
- Indian lawmakers attend their last session before moving to a new Parliament building
- New 'Wheel of Fortune' host Ryan Seacrest worries about matching Pat Sajak's quickness
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Ukraine's Zelenskyy tells Sean Penn in 'Superpower' documentary: 'World War III has begun'
Most Americans view Israel as a partner, but fewer see it as sharing US values, AP-NORC poll shows
2020 Biden voters in Pennsylvania weigh in on Hunter Biden, Biden impeachment inquiry
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Why large cities will bear the brunt of climate change, according to experts
China tells foreign consulates in Hong Kong to provide personal data of all local staff
US firms in China say vague rules, tensions with Washington, hurting business, survey shows