Significant decline of Griffon Vulture collision mortality in wind farms during 13-year of a selective turbine stopping protocol

Ferrer, Miguel; Alloing, Angèle; Baumbush, Ryan; Morandini, Virginia

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02203

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In situ data monitoring is one of the most accurate and reliable measurement methods, and the results of factors such as near-surface temperature, turbulence intensity, air humidity, soil temperature, wind speed, and others on the impacts of onshore wind farms on local climate indicators can be obtained by monitoring them over long time spans (Smith et al, 2013; Rajewski et al, 2014; Armstrong et al, 2016; Gao et al, 2020; Xia et al, 2022). In addition, on-site data monitoring can be used to obtain statistics on community and species changes, such as the mortality of bats, birds, and other animals, and the growth of vegetation in the local area (Barrios and Rodriguez, 2004; Arnett et al, 2008; Ma et al, 2019; Pătru-Stupariu et al, 2019; Xu et al, 2019; Liu et al, 2020; Urziceanu et al, 2021; Ferrer et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2022). However, in situ data monitoring tools are limited by factors such as complex field conditions and monitoring time, making it more difficult to obtain long-term continuous observation data, which poses a challenge to parameterization-based studies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localized Eco-Climatic Impacts of Onshore Wind Farms: A Review

Ze,

Xiuchun,

Ang

et al. 2024

Journal of Resources and Ecology

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The construction and operation of onshore wind farms interfere with the succession of local plant communities, and the impacts on the local ecology and climate are of great concern. The study of the relationships between onshore wind farms and local ecology and climate, as well as the accurate assessment of the impacts of onshore wind farms on local areas, are the foundation for promoting the sustainable development of green energy. In this study, we summarize the existing research methods used for field data monitoring, remote sensing data inversion and numerical model simulation, and found that onshore wind farms have obvious impacts on the local vegetation index, near-surface temperature, wind speed, soil moisture, and other parameters. Onshore wind farms reduce the local soil moisture content, increase the near-surface air temperature, and significantly alter local wind speeds. They also cause a reduction in the local vegetation index, inhibition of plant growth, and an increase in the mortality rates of birds and bats inside the wind farms. However, onshore wind farms have positive effects on the plant communities outside the wind farms, especially in the downwind direction. Overall, there is regional variability in the results and the findings are not generalizable. The mechanisms by which the onshore wind farms influence the local climate, the impact of climate on local ecology, and the direct effects of onshore wind farms on local ecology have not been clearly and accurately explained. Related research is still needed to further improve the precision, accuracy, and continuity of observational data. The construction of modeling systems also needs to incorporate indicators such as land use type, local microclimatic indicators, and plant species. Based on these considerations, this review provides support for macroscopically understanding the impacts of onshore wind farms on climate and ecology.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Localized Eco-Climatic Impacts of Onshore Wind Farms: A Review

Ze,

Xiuchun,

Ang

et al. 2024

Journal of Resources and Ecology

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“…After 13 years of application of the same protocol, a reduction of about 93% in the mortality rate was observed when compared with the rate before the measure was applied (2006)(2007). By considering all soaring birds, the reduction was about 65% [35].…”

Section: Turbine Curtailmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, this approach tends to be effective for some soaring raptors, but not for many other bird species [32]. In contrast, informed curtailment considers human observers, radar and/or camera-based systems to determine the shutdown or curtailment time of specific turbines [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42].…”

Section: Turbine Curtailmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effectiveness of selective shutdown of wind turbines was applied in wind farms in the southern of Spain, Cadiz area [33,35]. In total, 269 turbines were selectively stopped during the procedure.…”

Section: Turbine Curtailmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to estimate the mortality rate, the analysis in [35] considered before-after number of collisions, statistical methods, and annual counts of soaring birds, griffon vultures, passerines and bats. The protocol targeted soaring birds, specially vultures, while passarines and bats were considered for comparison purposes only.…”

Section: Turbine Curtailmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mitigation measures for preventing collision of birds with wind turbines

Garcia-Rosa,

Tande

2023

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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Bird collisions with wind turbines is one of the major environmental impacts of wind energy. To decrease the number of avian fatalities in wind farms, several studies have been done to understand, evaluate and apply measures that reduce the risks of collisions. Overall, mitigation measures during the operational phase of wind farms are based on either active or passive procedures, depending on the need (or not) for an external source to trigger an action for preventing a possible collision. The aim of this work is firstly to provide an overview of mitigation measures that have been demonstrated in-situ, including the overall procedures of the tests, results, as well as advantages and disadvantages of the measures. Subsequently, a new patented control concept to avoid collisions (SKARV) is described. Four measures that have been tested at wind farms in Spain, Norway, and USA are summarized: habitat management and painting (passive measures), turbine curtailment and deterrents (active measures). Estimations from these tests indicate an average reduction of 33%-86% in annual bird fatality for specific targeted species. The SKARV concept is not yet tested, but may be a benign alternative.

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