Wind Energy & the Environment
Wind energy works, is increasingly cost-effective, has a net positive environmental impact, and is compatible with most existing land uses. The links below touch on the topic of wind’s environmental benefits and impacts.
Wedge-tailed eagles killed by wind turbines at Yaloak South wind farm in Moorabool Shire
By
Jolyon Attwooll
The renewable energy company Pacific Hydro confirmed to The Courier that three deaths of the eagle – Australia’s largest bird of prey – have been recorded at the wind farm since it began operating in Moorabool Shire last year.
Pioneering Bat Deterrent System from NRG Systems Reduces Bat Fatalities by 54 Percent at Texas Wind Energy Facility
By
Nrg Systems
A trial of its ultrasonic acoustic Bat Deterrent System reduced overall bat fatalities at the Los Vientos Wind Energy Facility in Starr County, Texas, by 54 percent. The results of the test prove that NRG Systems’ technology is an effective tool for reducing mortality of certain species of bats caused by wind turbines.
Is the wind turbine really a ‘new apex predator’?
By
The presence of wind turbines can reduce the number of birds and lizards in an area, a new study has found. Should we start tearing the farms down?
Tasmania wind farm Australia’s first to use eagle protection technology
By
Sophie Vorrath
New technology to detect and prevent eagles from colliding with rotating wind turbine blades will be applied in Australia for the first time – at Goldwind Australia’s Cattle Hill Wind Farm in the Central Highlands of Tasmania.
US National Survey of Attitudes of Wind Power Project Neighbors
By
Lbnl
The findings indicate an overall positive attitude toward the nearby turbines, including for those living even as close as ½ mile. Roughly 8% of the population had negative attitudes within 5 miles.
Southern Arizona wind farm investigated after death of bat, eagle
By
Meagan Boudreau
In the mountains 20 miles west of Willcox, 15 wind turbines stand 450 feet tall, spinning with the wind. This is the Red Horse II Wind Farm, the only wind farm operating in southern Arizona.
