Bishop Hill When do windfarms work?
Mar 14, 2012 Energy: wind Greens Readers here are familiar with the idea that wind turbines do not generate electricity when the wind doesn't blow and it is also now widely understood that they have to be switched off when the wind blows too hard as well, either because the grid can't take the surges or because it's dangerous to have the turbine spin too fast.
The latest news from the USA is that some windfarms may now have to be switched off at night.
Night operation of the windmills in the North Allegheny Windpower Project has been halted following discovery of a dead Indiana bat under one of the turbines, an official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.
The finding marks only the second location where an Indiana bat has been found dead under a wind turbine. Two Indiana bats were found under turbines in the Mid-west, said Clint Riley, supervisor for Fish and Wildlife’s Pennsylvania field office.
“While finding the dead bat is not good news for any of us, it does show the monitoring works,” Riley said from his State College office.
Of course, the story concerns a particular species of bat in the US, but it's interesting to consider the implications for other parts of the world. According to this document:
...throughout Europe high-flying bat species are most frequently killed and most fatalaties are of the Nyctalus and Pipistrellus spp.
These two subspecies are both found here in the UK, where they are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, along with all other kinds of bat. The legislation makes it a crime to:
- Deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat
- Intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat in its roost or deliberately disturb a group of bats
It is interesting to wonder if building a windfarm, in the full knowledge that it will kill bats, counts as "deliberate". No doubt there are legal precedents here. If it does then no doubt windfarms across the UK will be closing down at dusk, at least during the warmer months of the year.
Oh well, at least solar power stations keep working at night.
Bishop Hill
In related news, it appears that windfarms are a problem when there are vultures in the vicinity. Why? Because they can't see in front of them.
Reader Comments (57)
And there's more...............
When a local authority prepares it's Local Plan it is obliged to undertake a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) incorporating the Strategic Envrionmental Assessment (SAE) which came from an EU Directive (Directive 2001/42?EC) which requires an environmental report to be undertaken identifying, describing and evaluating the likely significant environmental effects of implementing a plan or programme. Environmental effects includes such issues as biodiversity, population, human health, fauna, flora, soil, water, air, climatic factors (not sure what that means), material assets, cultural heritage including architectural and archaeological heritage, landscape and the interrelationship between the above factors.
SAE has been somewhat watered down by it being incorporated into the SA which includes not just envrinomental factors, but social and economic factors as well.
SAE/Sa must also include measures envisaged to prevent, reduce and as fully as possible offset any significant adverse factors on the environment of implementing the plan or programme. Member States are also required to monitor the significant environmental effects, to identify at an early stage unforeseen adverse effects and to be able to undertake appropriate remedial action.
It might be worth checking your local authority's website - usually the SA forms part of the suite of local plan documents and should also include a statement about monitoring. If evidence can be gathered about the adverse effects wind turbines have on the fauna there must be a means to put pressure on the local authority to take "appropriate remedial action".
Worth a try.
Thanks biddyb.
These directives will prove useful.
All I need now are some photos of dead birds/bats under windmills.
The more the merrier!
Just watching BBC Question time. The Chairman said we are all agreed that we need green energy to prevent climate change. None of the panel disagreed with him.
Feel sick
Don Keiller: "All I need now are some photos of dead birds/bats under windmills.
The more the merrier!"
Ah, that might prove to be the hard part. How is one going to be able to gain sufficient evidence when access to private land is required at daily(?) intervals to gather evidence, which, presumably, the wind farm operators will be keen to get rid of? An army of volunteers would be required, willing to trespass, bag and tag the evidence. I wonder how far a bat or bird would be hurled if caught by the end of a blade, if it were not pulped in the process. Sorry; I don't wish to rain on your parade, but I don't think it is going to be easy.
I don't think it would be easy Biddyb.
However it should not require trespass.
Anyone with a decent camera and telephoto lens should be able to do the job.
I am serious about this, but don't live (fortunately) near windmills.
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