Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB). (2014, August 13). Bats versus wind turbines. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 7, 2014
Wind turbines are the the cause of many deaths of bats and birds in northern Germany. In northern Germany, wind turbines are an important component of renewable energy, due to their abundance of wind. But, the blades of the wind turbines are extremely dangerous for many birds and bats. About 300,000 bats are at the risk of being injured or killed in northern Germany. Unfortunately, the bats are even attracted to the wind turbines. Bats swarm at conspicuous landscape features such as churches, towers, or even wind turbines during their mating season.
This article shows how the wind turbines in northern Germany are killing the bat and bird populations. Out of the bats that died, a surprisingly large amount of them were females. This deeply affects the wildlife population in Germany, because with each female their potential offspring is missing. This also affects environmental science because if a large quantity of these bats die at wind turbines, the populations in Northeastern Germany may become significantly weakened. In conclusion, although wind energy is a great renewable source, the wind turbines are harming populations of animals.
I had no idea Wind Turbines killed bats and other birds. Now I have a different perception of wind energy, quite interesting. Though, I think for Germany, they should invest some money in ways to prevent this. I’ve heard of Ultrasonic Acoustics that provide high-frequency sounds that confuse bat near that are, thus confusing them and making them stay away. That could be one solution, or Radar technology that can detect when birds are nearby, and they could shut them down, or slow them down, though that become tedious or annoying every time. I think it’s all about location.
Wow, it is a sad that these alternative energy sources are causing the death of these animals. They are both important aspects and neither should be taken away but there should be a sort of compromise in order to fix this problem without taking away the turbines.