Wind turbines in managed forests partially displace common birds

Rehling, Finn; Delius, Anna; Ellerbrok, Julia; Farwig, Nina; Peter, Franziska

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116968

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Furthermore, compensation associated with wind development increase the profitability of lands providing additional incentives for co-locating agriculture and wind development (Burt et al, 2017). However, this same diffuse development pattern associated with wind can also lead to a significant amount of habitat fragmentation, and associated species impacts, when located in natural cover types (Rehling et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use and Europe’s renewable energy transition: identifying low-conflict areas for wind and solar development

Kiesecker,

Evans,

Oakleaf

et al. 2024

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Continued dependence on imported fossil fuels is rapidly becoming unsustainable in the face of the twin challenges of global climate change and energy security demands in Europe. Here we present scenarios in line with REPowerEU package to identify Renewables Acceleration Areas that support rapid renewable expansion, while ensuring minimal harm to places important for biodiversity and rural communities. We calculated the area needed to meet renewable energy objectives under Business-as-Usual (BAU) and Low-conflict (LCON) development scenarios within each country, providing a broad overview of the potential for renewable energy generation to reduce impacts when development is steered toward lower conflict lands. Our analysis shows that meeting renewable energy objectives would require a network of land-based wind turbines and solar arrays encompassing upwards of 164,789 km2 by 2030 and 445,654 km2 by 2050, the latter roughly equivalent to the land area of Sweden. Our results highlight that BAU development patterns disproportionately target high-conflict land cover types. By 2030, depending on the development pathway, solar and wind development are projected to impact approximately 4,386–20,996 km2 and 65,735–138,454 km2 of natural and agricultural lands, respectively. As renewable energy objectives increase from 2030 to 2050 impacts to natural and agricultural lands also increase, with upwards of 33,911 km2 from future solar development and 399,879 km2 from wind development. Despite this large footprint, low-conflict lands can generate substantial renewable energy: 6.6 million GWh of solar and 3.5 million GWh of wind, 8–31 times 2030 solar objectives and 3–5 times 2030 wind objectives. Given these patterns, we emphasize the need for careful planning in areas with greater impact potential, either due to a larger demand for land area or limited land availability. Top-emitting countries with large renewable energy objectives (Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Spain) and those with limited flexibility in meeting objectives on low-conflict land (Albania, Slovenia, Montenegro, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Finland, Greece, Portugal, and Norway) should be priorities for country-level customizations to guide low-conflict siting and avoid disproportionate impacts on high-value areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Land use and Europe’s renewable energy transition: identifying low-conflict areas for wind and solar development

Kiesecker,

Evans,

Oakleaf

et al. 2024

Front. Environ. Sci.

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“…Bird collision with the turbine towers or blades cause death. Several studies have been conducted to collect and analyse the data from offshore wind farms to measure the impacts on birds species at local and national levels [125][126][127]. The risk of wind turbines on the marine environment and the causes of failures of wind turbine foundations have been critically reviewed in [128].…”

Section: Renewable Energy and Ghg Emissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Renewable Energy Generation on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Saudi Arabia: A Comprehensive Review

et al. 2023

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Over the last few years, the electric energy demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has increased many folds due to several factors including increased population, industrialization, economic activities, and urbanization. The main source of electric power generation in KSA is the burning of petroleum products. Almost one third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are contributed from the electric power generation sector, mainly, by burning diesel and natural gas. As a result, it makes it necessary to consider alternate forms of electricity generation in order to cut down emissions and to keep sustainable growth alive. The government has planned to diversify energy sources and suppliers. In recent years, energy generation from renewable sources including solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, concentrated solar power (CSP), biomass, geothermal, and tidal, has been given more importance. The ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 targets of 58.7 GW of power generation from renewable energy sources will cause a significant reduction in GHG emissions from the energy sector. This article systematically reviews the impact of renewable energy generation on GHG emissions. The detailed breakdown of GHG emission is discussed. Then, the status of renewable energy generation is investigated, focusing on the technical and economic potentials. The correlation of renewable energy generation and GHG emissions is then explained. The most distinguishing feature of this review is that it provides a comprehensive list of recommendations to reduce GHG emissions. The discussions and recommendations of this article will support decision makers, system planners, industry personnel, researchers, and academics to develop sustainable energy pathways for the Kingdom.

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“…While wind turbines do not create air pollution during operations and instead can offset the energy used in their manufacturing, transportation, and installation within a few months of electricity generation, 12 their development can impact wildlife. Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation can occur if wind farms are sited at unsuitable locations, particularly with intact, natural vegetation, 13 but avian collisions with turbines remain a primary concern 14,15 . Bird turbine collision mortality rate averages 3.1 birds/MW/year with a broad range of 0.9 to 11.7 birds/MW/year, as lighting conditions, weather, tower design, and height of flight can all impact avian mortality rates 16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States

Feng,

Li,

Kalies

et al. 2023

Wind Energy

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Although installed wind power generation capacity in the United States reached 132 GW in 2021, more than quadruple the capacity in 2008, a noticeable void exists in the Southeast. Scant wind power development in this region is due to relatively poorer wind resources, other competitive energy sources, and political opposition. However, the dramatic increases in wind turbine hub height, which allow harvesting the faster wind speeds that occur farther from the ground, combined with a growing sense of urgency to develop renewable energy, point to a near future with significant wind development everywhere, including the Southeast. Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for replacing fossil fuels with renewable sources is tempered by fears that the vast land requirements of utility‐scale wind farms may disrupt valuable ecosystems. In this paper, we identify the areas where installed wind power capacity is least likely to disrupt wildlife and sensitive natural areas in the southeastern United States. The generated maps exclude geographic areas unsuitable for wind power development due to environmental concerns or technical considerations corresponding to five categories. The resulting geospatial product suggests that even after removing sizable areas from consideration, there is significant land for wind development to meet the Southeast's energy needs and clean energy goals.

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Wind turbines in managed forests partially displace common birds

Cited by 9 publications

References 68 publications

Land use and Europe’s renewable energy transition: identifying low-conflict areas for wind and solar development

Land use and Europe’s renewable energy transition: identifying low-conflict areas for wind and solar development

Impacts of Renewable Energy Generation on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Saudi Arabia: A Comprehensive Review

Low impact siting for wind power facilities in the Southeast United States

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