Two new studies could change critics’ opinions about how many birds die from wind turbines
Critics say wind turbines endanger birds but two new studies have now analysed the risk in more detail. What they have found could change the debate.
Two recent studies have re-examined the risk of birds entering in collision with rotor blades of wind turbines.
Study by Vattenfall and Spoor shows not a single collision
The energy company Vattenfall and the tech company Spoor have analysed the extent to which wind turbines endanger birds at the offshore wind farm in Aberdeen. Over a period of 19 months - from June 2023 to December 2024 - video recordings of a wind turbine were made with the help of AI-supported analyses. A total of 2,007 bird flight paths near the monitored turbine were examined.
"By combining AI-powered detection and detailed expert analysis, we can replace assumptions with concrete observations and measure actual behaviour in the immediate vicinity of wind turbines," says Ask Helseth, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Spoor.
The study found that there was not a single collision, "The results from Aberdeen Bay show that modern offshore wind farms can be operated with low risk to wildlife," says Dr Eva Julius-Philipp, Director Environment and Sustainability BU Wind at Vattenfall.
German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) study: Over 99 per cent of migratory birds avoid wind turbines
A study by the German Offshore Wind Energy Association (BWO) also shows that migratory birds almost completely avoid wind turbines.
For one and a half years, researchers analysed over four million bird movements with the help of radar and AI-based cameras. The result showed that over 99.8 per cent of migratory birds reliably avoided the wind turbines.
"The new study shows that migratory birds avoid wind turbines. This confirms that the environmentally friendly expansion of offshore wind energy works in harmony with these birds and not against them," says BWO Managing Director Stefan Thimm.
"We used state-of-the-art methods. AI-controlled stereo cameras determined the flight activity in the rotor area, while a specialised bird radar recorded the migration patterns. By comparing the two data sets, we were able to precisely calculate avoidance rates," says Dr Jorg Welcker, Head of Research and Development at BioConsult SH GmbH & Co.
Conservationists nevertheless warn of risks
Despite the results, nature and animal protection organisations warn of the danger of wind turbines for many birds. The German Wildlife Foundation considers wind turbines to be an important tool for climate protection. Nevertheless, the organisation warns that wind turbines with their heavy rotor blades would threaten many native breeding bird species.
The German Wildlife Foundation expressly welcomes the expansion of renewable energies, but it must not be at the expense of species conservation. The urgency of biodiversity protection is in no way inferior to that of climate protection," says Dr Andreas Kinser, Head of Nature and Species Conservation at the German Wildlife Foundation.
In order to better protect birds, the study commissioned by the German Wildlife Foundation calls for clear minimum rules for nature conservation.
The most important basis for this is the so-called "Helgoland Paper" with recommendations from experts. It states, for example, that there should be a distance of at least 6,000 metres between the nest of a lesser spotted eagle and a wind turbine.
The study commissioned by the German Wildlife Foundation criticises the fact that the legal regulations for the protection of birds fall well short of the scientific recommendations.
The new studies suggest that many bird species collide with wind turbines less frequently than often feared. At the same time, the data situation has not yet been fully clarified. It therefore remains important to provide special protection for sensitive habitats during the further expansion of wind energy.
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