Are wind farms a threat to wildlife?

Many countries around the world use wind energy to generate electricity. Canada is one of them. In 2018, wind energy in Canada generated enough electricity to power 3.3 million homes! 

Generating electricity with wind energy has advantages. It has gotten cheaper over the years. It also cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. That is because wind energy is an alternative to burning coal and other fossil fuels for energy. Both of these emit harmful pollutants when they are burned.

But wind energy projects can affect local wildlife. Researchers are working hard to reduce or resolve some of the negative impacts on organisms and their habitats.

How can wind energy projects impact wildlife?

A wind farm is a group of several wind turbines. It is an example of a wind energy project.

Wind turbines have been linked to large numbers of bird and bat deaths. In the case of birds, most of the deaths happen when the birds crash into wind turbines. 

In the case of bats, some die when they hit the turbines. Others die from an effect called barotrauma. This happens when bats fly too close to the blades of a wind turbine. The movement of the blades can cause a drop in air pressure nearby. This drop in pressure can damage the bat's lungs, often resulting in death.

Scientists studied wind projects in Ontario for 10 years. They found that each wind turbine kills around 5 birds and 12 bats every year! There were 2 577 turbines in Ontario in 2018. That suggests 13 400 birds and 30 150 bats might have been killed by wind farms in Ontario that year.

Deaths are not the only problem. Wind farms have also been linked to harmful indirect impacts on local bird and bat populations. For example, building a wind farm can result in habitat loss. This can lead to wildlife being forced out of the area. Other indirect impacts include effects on migration patterns and other behavioural changes. Any of these can contribute to major population decline in different species.

How are people working to minimize the impact of wind turbines on wildlife?

The wind power industry is aware of the impact that wind turbines have on bird and bat populations. Wind farm developers are required to follow a number of provincial and federal government rules and regulations when designing their projects. These rules help control where wind turbines are placed and how they are built. They also control how wind farms operate. The likely impacts on migration routes, habitats, and local species are also considered.

Developers, as well as government agencies, also monitor the ongoing environmental impacts of wind projects. The information they gather can help scientists understand how wind turbines affect biodiversity. This understanding can help reduce the risks future projects may have on wildlife.

Also, organizations such as the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative in the USA work to develop new ways to prevent deaths. These include ways to lower the sounds produced. For example, biologists have shown that bats are much more active when wind speeds are low (3). If wind turbines stayed still in low winds, a significant number of bat deaths could be avoided. This step would have only a small impact on power production.

Compared to other threats, the worldwide impact of wind projects on bird populations is still very small. Many studies show that more birds are killed by cats or collisions with windows than by wind projects. Research into the number and causes of bat deaths is ongoing.

Wind power is becoming an important source of energy for Canadians. But like most other human activities, wind projects can also have negative impacts on the natural environment. Government, industry, and environmental groups are all working to ensure that our flying friends are protected as much as possible.