The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Defenders of Wildlife hosted a free, nine-part webinar series, Wildlife & Wind Energy Webinar Series: Considerations for Monitoring and Managing Impacts, between August and November 2020. All webinars were recorded and are available on Tethys.
Webinar # 1: History of wind energy and wildlife interactions and overview of the webinar series
In this first webinar, Bob Thresher (NREL), Karin Sinclair (NREL), and Aimee Delach (Defenders of Wildlife) oriented attendees to the series’ objectives and establish the shared foundational knowledge for the nine-part course. This introduction covered 1) the basics of current and developing wind energy technology, 2) development projections for the wind industry based on market dynamics and climate change mitigation targets, and 3) the focal species and associated regulations at the center of wind energy and wildlife policy. This series, facilitated by NREL and Defenders of Wildlife and featuring wind industry and wildlife experts, is accessible and relevant to a diverse group of stakeholders, particularly for those involved in permitting and oversight of wind energy projects. Stakeholders with all levels of wind-wildlife knowledge were encouraged to attend as it set the stage for the remainder of the series.