Lean, green, killing machine

fly the gauntlet! Wind turbines are getting more bird-friendly, but bats are still suffering

Wind turbines kill bats as well as birds, according to a recent report in the Canadian Journal of Zoology. The University of Calgary study, led by Robert Barclay, found a sharp rise in the number of bat fatalities linked with increasing height of turbine towers: the technological trend has been towards fewer, taller structures. One possible cause of the flying mammals’ demise, say the study’s authors, is that the speed of the whirling rotor – some 200 km/h at the tips of the largest blades – is simply too fast for them to avoid. Although changes in turbine design, placement and lighting have probably resulted in fewer bird fatalities, nothing is currently being done to save bats from the chop.

Source: Barclay RMR, Baerwald EF & Gruver JC (2007) Variation in bat and bird fatalities at wind energy facilities: assessing the effects of rotor size and tower height. Canadian Journal of Zoology DOI: 10.1139/Z07-011

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