A Summary of Recent Initiatives Conducted at the National Wind Technology Center in Support of Addressing Impacts to Birds and Bats at Wind Energy Facilities

Concerns regarding the negative impacts of wind energy projects on wildlife, especially birds and bats, pose challenges for project developers, both with public acceptance and in the permitting processes. Developers may be... [ view full abstract ]

Concerns regarding the negative impacts of wind energy projects on wildlife, especially birds and bats, pose challenges for project developers, both with public acceptance and in the permitting processes. Developers may be required to monitor projects for diurnal or nocturnal species-specific presence and abundance, collect collision data, or implement mitigation strategies to reduce fatalities even though risk parameters have not been adequately identified. To meet the current and future regulatory requirements, project developers need to know which technology solutions best meet the permitting requirements—both from a technical and cost perspective. Technological solutions may also vary by species of interest or by regulatory requirements; thus, it is expected that a range of solutions will be required to meet the needs for wind energy project development in various jurisdictions.
Many vendors claim to have commercial systems that can detect or deter bird and bat species or that are in different stages of development; however, many of these systems have not undergone independent testing and validation. Further, the requirement to implement these systems by the permitting agency results in additional costs for project developers but may not provide verifiable benefits to the species of interest. To date, there is no set standard by which to compare existing and emerging systems.
Over the past several years, NREL has participated in or led several directly relevant initiatives including:
• Testing of radar and visual camera systems using eagles and falcons;
• Installing thermal imagery systems, visual imagery systems, contact microphones, and accelerometers to evaluate technologies designed to detect bird strikes on wind turbines;
• Assisting with U.S. Geological Survey experiments by installing thermal imaging cameras and managing the collection of data from equipment mounted on turbines at the NWTC;
• Analyzing available avian detection and deterrent technology to help an offshore wind farm developer meet their pending permit requirements;
• Hosting an Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Bats Conservation International meeting in support of bat impact mitigation and wind energy including three separate landscape classes; and
• Convening wildlife statisticians, biologists, and engineers to develop testing protocol to determine the effectiveness of emerging avian and bat detection and deterrent technologies.
Through this poster presentation (or presentation if preferred by the NWCC), NREL will provide a summary of efforts recently conducted and demonstrate how NWTC infrastructure and facilities can support testing of a wide range of technologies and components that could be used to reduce bird and bat fatalities at wind energy projects.