We are in a world that wants to harmonise renewable energy through various wind turbines; the thought of how it affects wildlife has sort of slipped our minds. In an effort to preserve wildlife, scientists have developed the first stripy wind turbine in history to save the lives of millions of birds. This approach answers all the concerns and questions people and researchers have regarding the effects wind turbines have been having on wildlife for years now.
Wind energy has emerged as a significant way to get rid of fossil fuels and anything, such as carbon emissions, that are causing global warming and climate change. However, in the same green-environment initiative, wind farms have raised environmental challenges, that is, bird collisions caused by the turbine blades causing about 500,000 bird deaths annually in the United States.
The secret to preventing collisions: An understanding of avian vision
The nature of birds in terms of their vision is different from human beings. Many of these species were created with a high-resolution vision to focus mainly on the ground to seek prey and because of that, it does not allow them to detect danger or anything that could be an obstacle, especially when focused on foraging or migratory routes; they are limited to a certain extent.
This limitation then causes the birds to fail to detect things like wind turbine blades, which then leads to fatal collisions. So then what do we do? Researchers have found a way to lessen these fatal collisions and try to enhance the visibility of these wind turbines. According to a recent study, painting wind turbines with black and white stripes may help keep seabirds from running into them, as reported by Euro News.
The stripy solution: Using contrast to increase wind turbine visibility
Simple solutions like painting one blade black could significantly reduce the number of birds that strike wind turbines, and in Tasmania, technology that can detect eagles and stop turbines from rotating has been beneficial. Although it is untrue that offshore wind farms kill whales, there are legitimate concerns regarding the impact that onshore and offshore wind projects may have on birds, claimed The Sydney Morning Herald.
The black and white painting aims to create a flickering effect on the wind turbine as the blades rotate; this way, the birds are able to see that there is something that could harm them and they have a chance to change their route. A research study by Mongabay states that the wind turbines’ visual homogeneity is broken by the high contrast stripes, which also make them stand out more against different backgrounds and lighting circumstances.
Anticipated effect: A notable drop in bird deaths
Professor Graham Martin, an ornithologist specialising in the sensory world of birds, and Alex Banks, an ornithology specialist at Natural England, have done in-depth research and expressed that making the blades a stripy black and white colour paint is another way to make the skies safer for the species too. Generally, birds will just find it easier to identify or detect the striped wind turbine.
Currently, we are hoping that the stripy turbine design will undergo extensive tests and get approved because researchers are optimistic that this development will reduce the number of birds and other species killed annually by a huge percentage. Also, wind farms all over the world can adapt to this concept to save the lives of wildlife. It is not only about the environment but about other living species too.
Now that we understand how this groundbreaking development will work and positively impact birds and wind farms, the next question is, will the findings be considered by policymakers? Well, Europe’s renewable targets are moved by this initiative being a success; also, Professor Martin expresses that something needs to be done to counteract the thousands of birds that are being slaughtered at sea and on farms. Therefore, policymakers should approve of this idea.