Current State of Knowledge of Wind Energy Impacts on Bats in South Africa

Aronson, Jonathan D.

doi:10.3161/15081109acc2022.24.1.018

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“… 2022a ), which translates to 6–7 bat fatalities per year per megawatt (MW) of installed capacity. In South Africa, estimated fatality rates average three bats per MW produced per year (Aronson 2022 ). In Latin America, wind turbines cause highly variable bat mortality rates, ranging from 2 to 57 bats per MW per year (Barros 2019 , Agudelo et al.…”

Section: Impact Of Wind Energy Production On Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2022 ). However, this pattern may differ in regions without strong seasonal climates, especially those closer to the equator (Aronson 2022 ). For migratory species, the impact of wind turbines can extend over large areas or even continents (Voigt et al.…”

Section: Impact Of Wind Energy Production On Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2012 ). In the Old World, pteropodids are also vulnerable to collisions with wind turbines (Aronson 2022 ).…”

Section: Impact Of Wind Energy Production On Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toward solving the global green–green dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation

Voigt,

Bernard,

Huang

et al. 2024

BioScience

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Wind energy production is growing rapidly worldwide in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, wind energy production is not environmentally neutral. Negative impacts on volant animals, such as bats, include fatalities at turbines and habitat loss due to land-use change and displacement. Siting turbines away from ecologically sensitive areas and implementing measures to reduce fatalities are critical to protecting bat populations. Restricting turbine operations during periods of high bat activity is the most effective form of mitigation currently available to reduce fatalities. Compensating for habitat loss and offsetting mortality are not often practiced, because meaningful offsets are lacking. Legal frameworks to prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of wind energy on bats are absent in most countries, especially in emerging markets. Therefore, governments and lending institutions are key in reconciling wind energy production with biodiversity goals by requiring sufficient environmental standards for wind energy projects.

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Section: Impact Of Wind Energy Production On Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Impact Of Wind Energy Production On Batsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toward solving the global green–green dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation

Voigt,

Bernard,

Huang

et al. 2024

BioScience

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A decade of curtailment studies demonstrates a consistent and effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines in North America

Whitby,

O'Mara,

Hein

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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There is a rapid, global push for wind energy installation. However, large numbers of bats are killed by turbines each year, raising concerns about the impacts of wind energy expansion on bat populations. Preventing turbine blades from spinning at low wind speeds, referred to as curtailment, is a method to reduce bat fatalities, but drawing consistent inference across studies has been challenging. We compiled publicly available studies that evaluated curtailment at six wind energy facilities in North America across 10 years. We used meta‐regression of 29 implemented treatments to determine fatality reduction efficacy as well as sources of variation influencing efficacy. We also estimated species‐specific fatality reduction for three species that comprise most fatalities in North America: hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) and silver‐haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). We found that curtailment reduced total bat fatalities by 33% with every 1.0 ms−1 increase in curtailment wind speed. Estimates of the efficacy for the three target species were similar (hoary bats: 28% per ms−1, 95% CI: 0.4%–48%, eastern red bats: 32% per ms−1, 95% CI: 13%–47% and silver‐haired bats: 32% per ms−1, 95% CI: 3%–53%). Across multiple facilities and years, a 5.0 ms−1 cut‐in speed was estimated to reduce total bat fatalities by an average of 62% (95% CI: 54%–69%). Mortality reductions at individual facilities in any given year were estimated to fall between 33%–79% (95% prediction interval). Inter‐annual differences rather than inter‐site or turbine characteristics accounted for most of the variation in efficacy rates. Species‐specific average mortality reduction at 5.0 ms−1 curtailment wind speed was 48% (95% CI: 24%–64%) for hoary bats, 61% (95% CI: 42%–74%) for eastern red bats and 52% (95% CI: 30%–66%) for silver‐haired bats. Practical implication. curtailment reduced bat mortality at wind turbines in this North American study. Efficacy increased proportionally as curtailment speed is raised, and patterns and rates of efficacy were similar across species. This indicates that curtailment is an effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind energy facilities, but exploration of further refinements could both minimize bat mortality and maximize energy production.

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Veterinary Aspects of Forensic Medicine: Wild Animals – Wildlife Forensic Pathology

Viner,

Stolen

2024

Reference Module in Social Sciences

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Current State of Knowledge of Wind Energy Impacts on Bats in South Africa

Cited by 4 publications

References 84 publications

Toward solving the global green–green dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation

Toward solving the global green–green dilemma between wind energy production and bat conservation

A decade of curtailment studies demonstrates a consistent and effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines in North America

Veterinary Aspects of Forensic Medicine: Wild Animals – Wildlife Forensic Pathology

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