Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

BlueMonkOne t1_j32fb4o wrote

Animals killed by blades on a wind generator PALE in comparison to the number of animals/people killed by oil spills/slicks and auto exhaust.

65

Fabznz t1_j32vgl5 wrote

With bats I would have thought the sound of blades interfering with their echolocation would be the biggest thing deterring them.

6

AbsolutelyNoHomo t1_j346raa wrote

Pretty sure that the pressure gradient upstream/downstream of a turbine fucks up their ears.

5

_off_piste_ t1_j34v9f8 wrote

That’s not indicated by this study. I don’t know how to quote on mobile in app but here are some relevant paragraphs:

“Our results showed that bat presence was impacted by the presence of wind turbines as both studied groups were found more often further away from the wind turbines. Northern bats were repelled up to 800 metres from the wind turbines, but for the Myotis species the negative impact of wind power was even greater than one kilometre, which was the maximum distance we studied”, summarises lead author, Doctoral Researcher Simon Gaultier from the University of Turku.

“Regarding the results, it is not yet clear if bats avoid the wind turbines themselves, or the surrounding area”, explains Simon Gaultier, and continues: “In Finland, building turbines in forests requires cutting down a number of trees and building large roads to bring turbine parts to the construction sites. Bats like the Myotis don’t like these kinds of changes and prefer dense forests with no open areas. This could be the explanation as why they tend to avoid wind farms.”

Other explanations, such as the noise and lighting emitted by wind turbines or the impact of these machines on insects, have been proposed as potential causes behind bats’ avoidance of wind farms. Regardless of the real causes, this avoidance can drive bats away from habitats that are important for their movement or feeding. This consequence is exacerbated when considering the cumulative effect of all wind turbines already operating or planned in Finland.

5

Fabznz t1_j35amx2 wrote

They could record the sound the turbines make and set up some speakers in the forest and see if it fucks the bats up

2

Lematoad t1_j37c30n wrote

Animals killed by nuclear power PALE in comparison to the number of animals/people killed by wind turbines.

0

Dobber16 t1_j3adayp wrote

That doesn’t seem to be the case when I was looking up the impact of wind turbines and oil spills each year to each other. It’s nearly a whole order of magnitude against wind turbines, likely because they’re constantly there while oil spills happen occasionally. Is there information I’m missing here or are you including all climate change deaths to the oil spills and auto exhaust section?

0

Zeal514 t1_j32zoab wrote

Eh. Ecosystems are quite fragile. We don't know the repercussions of this, it seems to be effecting local flying animal life, which way lots of insects, and the insects can be devastating to local fauna, farms, and even humans. It doesn't matter many bats to help clear an area of mosquitos for instance.

Your comment reads like someone who is desperate to defend wind energy, and prove it is "right", rather then trying to find the best path forward.

−5

ShelZuuz t1_j33kwco wrote

Birds killed from Wind Turbines: 1 million per year.

Birds killed by cats: 2.4 billion. Windows: 800 million. Vehicles: 200 million. Power line collisions: 25 million.

But let’s get rid of the Wind Turbines…

11

Tobias_Atwood t1_j33m3yn wrote

Also fossil fuels kill more birds than wind or solar per megawatt generated by several orders of magnitude.

Like, there's just no comparison. If you want to protect birds you build wind turbines.

5

Zeal514 t1_j33lh0w wrote

I mean.. I'd Link you a study that says effects of wind turbines is largely unknown, but it shows that bats are being driven away from habitats as a result, but something tells me you'd simply ignore it, and just go with whatever information backs your argument up, rather then pursuing truth. But hey, maybe I am wrong.... O wait, this post is literally a link to that exact study, how convenient.

−3

o0oo00o0o t1_j3476z4 wrote

I work in environmental engineering in the US and in the mandated environmental reviews we do for these types of projects there is literally an entire chapter devoted to bats and their habitats in order to ensure whatever negative impacts that might result from the project are properly mitigated. These reports are heavily researched, technical, and available for the public to review and comment on before a project moves forward

4