[Acrocephalus]

A new technique (turbine stopping program) can significantly reduce the mortality rates of griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) caused by collision at wind farms in southern Spain without any significant reduction in total energy production.

de Lucas, M., et al. (2012). Griffon vulture mortality at wind farms in southern Spain: Distribution of fatalities and active mitigation measures. Biological Conservation doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.12.029
abstract

[King Edward]

Sounds promising. Do you think it would be possible to invent some kind of automatic detection system to shut down the turbines when birds came too close? Although it would add to the construction cost, that should be offset to some degree not just by the wildlife benefit, but also by reduced planning objections to wind farms on environmental grounds.

[Simon Wates]

Thanks for posting this! This is very good news indeed - although I for one hope that in the not too distant future that the wind farms will become defunct: Near Sagres there is a windfarm that is under this regime during the autumn (for 3 1/2 months) - every time there are raptors in the general area that could be in risk of collision, the windfarm puts the brakes on. The observers (who are backed up by radar equipment) on site then give the green light when its all clear. Around 5,000 raptors pass close to the windfarm every autumn and the park is stopped almost daily for an hour or so at least. I don't know the losses in energy production - though I would have presumed that its much more than the 0.07% loss quoted in the Spanish article.

[Bird_Bill]

Originally Posted by Acrocephalus

A new technique (turbine stopping program) can significantly reduce the mortality rates of griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) caused by collision at wind farms in southern Spain without any significant reduction in total energy production.

de Lucas, M., et al. (2012). Griffon vulture mortality at wind farms in southern Spain: Distribution of fatalities and active mitigation measures. Biological Conservation doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.12.029
abstract

Data does appear promising.Most problematic,seems the timely accquistion of said data.Identifying flight corridors realtive specific hazardous turbine(s) location.Electro-mechanics of stopping are inherent to equipment,a big plus.Pinning down point in time to make it all happen is what remains.Shame so much was lost in the accumulation of some significant science that is a huge step forward.Much more complex than central issue when demand is considered.For example... life essential vs. non essential load shed,stuff like that.Those details can be worked out.
A step in the right direction Mohamed,thanks for sharing.

[Acrocephalus]

New Bird and Bat-Friendly Bladeless Wind Turbine Design to be Tested and Manufactured in New Jersey.

http://www.treehugger.com/wind-techn...bats-safe.html