Renewable Energy - Wind Energy & The Affect on Wildlife

Wildlife: birds and bats

In the 1980s and 1990s, California led the way in wind energy developments. Some projects that were built had a negative impact on an endangered bird species because of placement and turbine technology used. As a result, those projects had to be adjusted to minimize impact on wildlife.

Wind developers and turbine manufacturers have used this experience to develop turbines and projects in a way that minimizes impacts of projects on the surrounding wildlife. Developers now take into account bird and bat migratory paths in planning and design of projects; construct tubular steel towers without guy wires; and monitor and adjust construction schedules according to local wildlife.

The results are remarkable. A 2005 study by the USDA Forest Service found that wind turbines are responsible for less than 0.01% of all human caused bird mortality. The findings of the study are below:

As you can see, buildings, power lines and cats are far more dangerous to birds than wind turbines.

We could stop wind turbine construction completely to protect a small percentage of birds and bats. But this ignores the primary reason for wind projects: climate change. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that between 2% and 72% of bird species face extinction due to the effects of climate change (temperature changes, sea rise, changing precipitation patterns, etc.).

This species impact is further exacerbated by worsening air quality from fossil fuel energy generation (smog and local air quality) and environmental energy disasters (the Exxon Valdez oil spill is estimated to have killed over 375,000 birds alone). Wind energy greatly reduces the greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia, and ultimately we will end up protecting the environment in which our wildlife lives.

If a potential issue with wildlife is identified with a particular project, it will be reviewed as part of the provincial Environmental Assessment process.