Wind of Change or Wind of Challenges: Implementation factors regarding wind energy development, an international perspective

Gartman, Victoria; Wichmann, K.; Bulling, Lea; Huesca-Pérez, María Elena; Köppel, Johann

doi:10.3934/energy.2014.4.485

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Past estimates suggest that before 2013, 140,000–328,000 birds were killed annually by collision at monopole wind turbines in the contiguous United States (Loss et al., 2013). These fatalities create a ‘green versus green’ conflict with wildlife that are impacted in the pursuit of reduced fossil fuel consumption (Gartman et al., 2014; Köppel et al., 2014). Collisions with wind turbines can limit populations of long‐lived birds (Carrete et al., 2009)—highlighting the conflict between wind power and raptor conservation (Watson et al., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines

McClure

Rolek

Dunn

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Collision‐caused fatalities of animals at wind power facilities create a ‘green versus green’ conflict between wildlife conservation and renewable energy. These fatalities can be mitigated via informed curtailment whereby turbines are slowed or stopped when wildlife are considered at increased risk of collision. Automated monitoring systems could improve efficacy of informed curtailment, yet such technology is undertested. We test the efficacy of an automated curtailment system—a camera system that detects flying objects, classifies them and decides whether to curtail individual turbines to avoid potential collision—in reducing counts of fatalities of eagles, at Top of the World Windpower Facility (hereafter, the treatment site) in Wyoming, USA. We perform a before–after–control–impact study, comparing the number of eagle fatalities observed at the treatment site with those at a nearby (15 km) control site without automated curtailment, both before and after the implementation of automated curtailment at the treatment site. After correcting for carcass detection probability and scaling fatality estimates to turbine‐years, we estimate that the number of fatalities at the treatment site declined by 63% (95% CI = 59%–66%) between before and after periods while increasing at the control site by 113% (51%–218%). In total, there was an 82% (75%–89%) reduction in the fatality rate at the treatment site relative to the control site. Synthesis and applications. Automated curtailment of wind turbine operation substantially reduced eagle fatalities. This technology therefore has the potential to lessen the conflict between wind energy and raptor conservation. Although automated curtailment reduced fatalities, they were not fully eliminated. Therefore, automated curtailment, as implemented here, is not a panacea and its efficacy could be improved if considered in conjunction with other mitigation actions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines

McClure

Rolek

Dunn

et al. 2021

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Although comprehensive consent procedures exist to ensure that the best sites are chosen for wind energy production to avoid environmental impacts (Gartman, Wichmann, Bulling, Elena Huesca‐Perez, & Koppel, 2014; Thygesen & Agarwal, 2014), the fast rate of wind‐power development entails that the potential for conflicts increases. Given the fast rate of development, it will become a challenge to verify negative impacts on birdlife and construe ways to minimize these (Langston & Pullan, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paint it black: Efficacy of increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities

May

Nygård

Falkdalen³

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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As wind energy deployment increases and larger wind‐power plants are considered, bird fatalities through collision with moving turbine rotor blades are expected to increase. However, few (cost‐) effective deterrent or mitigation measures have so far been developed to reduce the risk of collision. Provision of “passive” visual cues may enhance the visibility of the rotor blades enabling birds to take evasive action in due time. Laboratory experiments have indicated that painting one of three rotor blades black minimizes motion smear (Hodos 2003, Minimization of motion smear: Reducing avian collisions with wind turbines). We tested the hypothesis that painting would increase the visibility of the blades, and that this would reduce fatality rates in situ, at the Smøla wind‐power plant in Norway, using a Before–After–Control–Impact approach employing fatality searches. The annual fatality rate was significantly reduced at the turbines with a painted blade by over 70%, relative to the neighboring control (i.e., unpainted) turbines. The treatment had the largest effect on reduction of raptor fatalities; no white‐tailed eagle carcasses were recorded after painting. Applying contrast painting to the rotor blades significantly reduced the collision risk for a range of birds. Painting the rotor blades at operational turbines was, however, resource demanding given that they had to be painted while in‐place. However, if implemented before construction, this cost will be minimized. It is recommended to repeat this experiment at other sites to ensure that the outcomes are generic at various settings.

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“…Most of the wind parks in the Tehuantepec region have been supported by CDM and international development agencies (e.g. WB, Inter-American Development Bank) (Gartman et al 2014). It is important to state that Oaxaca is one of the poorest and most marginalized states in the country.…”

Section: Wind Energy Development In Mexico and Impact Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the importance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by substituting fossil fuel combustion, renewable energy projects are beset with implementation difficulties due to social impacts in several countries (Stigka et al 2014;Batel and Devine-Wright 2015;Huesca-Pérez et al 2016). Additionally, there were a considerable amount of criticisms on the effectiveness of the instrument and the characteristics of applying different CDM projects (Benecke 2009;Lederer 2011;Böhm et al 2012;Corbera and Jover 2012;Ervine 2013;Phillips and Newell 2013;Gartman et al 2014;Reinecke et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From global to local: impact assessment and social implications related to wind energy projects in Oaxaca, Mexico

Huesca-Pérez

Sheinbaum-Pardo

Köppel

2018

Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal

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In order to forecast likely impacts, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been applied worldwide. There are numerous social and cultural impacts that can hardly be addressed in a single EIA, and raise the awareness of social issues and proper assessment therein. This paper analyzes the social conflicts related to wind development projects in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico using a qualitative approach. By conducting a Constellation Analysis (CA) in our case studies, this article aims at: 1) identifying the challenges and improvement opportunities for the social and environmental assessment of wind energy projects in Oaxaca, and 2) presenting CA as a novel approach to visualize and identify social and environmental issues. This paper emphasizes the relevance of earlier assessment of social implications to projects. This example can contribute to a better understanding of further research at Mexico's regional and national levels, as well as in other regions or countries with similar development patterns.

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Wind of Change or Wind of Challenges: Implementation factors regarding wind energy development, an international perspective

Cited by 16 publications

References 42 publications

Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines

Eagle fatalities are reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines

Paint it black: Efficacy of increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities

From global to local: impact assessment and social implications related to wind energy projects in Oaxaca, Mexico

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