The Unseen Victims of Windfarms

Great Grimsby (LIncolnshire, UK) has a new and interesting claim to fame. Out on The Dogger Bank, (North Sea, UK) the worlds biggest windfarm just went online:

       Dogger Bank sits approximately 130km (80 miles) off the coast of Yorkshire         and will occupy an area almost as large as Greater London and nearly twice the     size of New York City. When fully complete, its 3.6 GW capacity will comprise 277 offshore turbines capable of producing enough energy to power the equivalent of six million British homes annually.

https://www.equinor.com/news/202310-dogger-bank

But it's not all good news for windfarms. Recently I saw a disturbing photo of  dead birds around the base of a land-based windfarm. In a theme worthy of Edward Tenner's Why Things Bite Back - New Technology and the Revenge Effect'  The benefits of 'clean' energy have been shadowed by increasing numbers of birdlife deaths.

Tenner coined the phrase 'Revenge Effect' to describe the unintended consequences of our attempts to dabble with nature.

Photo: The last Great Bustard in Cadiz - claimed to be the result of flying into a powerline.

And so, Wind farms, heralded as a clean and sustainable energy source,are facing growing scrutiny in  due to their impact on avian populations. The collision of birds with wind turbines has emerged as a significant concern, raising questions about the environmental cost of harnessing wind power. While the aim of wind farms is to mitigate the effects of climate change, the unintended consequence of bird fatalities poses a complex ethical dilemma.

Numerous studies have documented the toll on bird populations, with raptors and migratory species being particularly vulnerable. The rotating blades of wind turbines, designed to harvest wind energy efficiently, can inadvertently become lethal obstacles for birds navigating through their flight paths. The scale of bird fatalities on wind farms varies, but even conservative estimates indicate a cause for concern.

Elsewhere, it has been recorded that seabirds have learned to avoid wind farms: 

        Seabirds deliberately avoid wind turbine rotor blades offshore – that is the main finding of a new study that mapped the flightpaths of thousands of birds around wind turbines in the North Sea. Most importantly, during two years of monitoring using cameras and  radar, not a single bird was recorded colliding with a rotor blade. (Mattias Dahlström)

https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2023/unique-study-birds-avoid-wind-turbine-blades

Efforts to address this new-found issue have intensified, with researchers and environmentalists collaborating to develop innovative solutions. These include employing radar systems to detect bird movements and implementing technological modifications to turbine designs that reduce collision risks. Environmental impact assessments are increasingly becoming a standard practice in the planning and construction of wind farms, aiming to strike a balance between renewable energy goals and wildlife conservation.

Public awareness and advocacy play a crucial role in shaping the discourse around bird fatalities on wind farms. As society grapples with the urgent need for sustainable energy sources, it is essential to weigh the benefits of wind power against its impact on biodiversity. Striking a balance between renewable energy production and wildlife preservation necessitates ongoing research, technological advancements, and a commitment to responsible energy development.

The issue of bird fatalities on wind farms underscores the complexity of achieving a harmonious coexistence between human energy needs and environmental conservation. It calls for a nuanced approach that considers the long-term consequences of our pursuit of clean energy solutions

 https://savetheeagles.wordpress.com/birdkill-pictures/