RENEWABLE ENERGY

Dutch study shows wind turbines not a bird threat

A JOINT study by the Dutch Bird Protection society and power company Nuon has indicated that wind turbines kill fewer birds than expected and pose less of a threat than motor vehicles.

Dutch study shows wind turbines not a bird threat

The study was conducted across three wind farms and showed that each turbine killed an average of 28 birds per year, roughly a third of commonly-quoted research from the 1980s.

Across the Netherlands, around 50,000 birds are killed each year by the country's 1700 wind turbines, in comparison to the 2 million or so birds killed by vehicles on Dutch roads.

The study also indicated that larger turbines (those producing over 1.5MW of power) killed slightly more birds than smaller models but in comparison produced 5 to 10 times as much power, leading to smaller numbers.

"The mathematical model which was used up until now seems to predict too many collision victims for modern wind turbines in the Netherlands," the report authors said in a statement.

"In contrast to what might be expected, it seems that the number of bird victims has almost no relationship with the size of the wind turbine."

EnvironmentalManagementNews.net

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the energy sector, brought to you by the Energy News Bulletin Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the energy sector, brought to you by the Energy News Bulletin Intelligence team.

editions

ENB CCS Report 2024

ENB’s CCS Report 2024 finds that CCS could be the much-needed magic bullet for Australia’s decarbonisation drive

editions

ENB Cost Report 2023

ENB’s latest Cost Report findings provide optimism as investments in oil and gas, as well as new energy rise.

editions

ENB Future of Energy Report 2023

ENB’s inaugural Future of Energy Report details the industry outlook on the medium-to-long-term future for the sector in the Asia Pacific region.

editions

ENB Cost Report 2021

This industry-wide report aims to understand current cost levels across the energy industry