Public consultations for wind power projects often hear the same question: how will this affect wildlife? The issue has followed wind generation since it first became widespread and has never truly gone away.
Still now, bird protection causes significant delays to wind projects. As an example, the 2.4GW Hornsea Three project recently committed to working with conservation groups to minimise its damage to nearby kittiwake populations. Planning around the local bird populations likely contributed to the six-month planning delay as central government reviewed plans.
How much of a problem do turbines make for birds and bats?
In Canada, studies sponsored by wildlife groups estimated 23,300 bird deaths were caused by wind turbines in 2011. The authors estimated this would reach 233,000 over the following 10-15 years, getting ten times greater as wind power grows. While even this seems small compared to the 25 million birds killed by windows, the remote locations of turbines means they will likely present risks to rarer bird species.
Conservation groups often object to the developments they believe present the most danger to local wildlife populations. This can delay consent, lead to costly conservation projects as part of developments, or stop projects outright. Read on: https://www.power-technology.com/features/wind-turbines-birds-bats-fatalities-nature-protection-conservation-power-environment/?fbclid=IwAR0jFAseETAjNvvRQpPftRVMpffXYjPc8AG9yb9Kz3dpNBB8xdJsfqMBURw
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