Ultrasonic Deterrents To Reduce Bat Mortality at Wind Turbines—Short Science Summary

Bats

In North America, several bat species commonly collide with operating turbines. Although the ultimate cause of collisions is unknown, studies suggest bats may be attracted to turbines because they often approach turbine structures and spend extended periods of time (seconds to minutes) near them. To reduce bat mortality at wind farms, operators seek to reduce the amount of time bats spend near spinning turbine blades (known as exposure). Current approaches to reduce exposure include both curtailment, in which turbine operators stop turbine rotors from spinning during periods when bats are expected to be at the highest risk of collision, and deterrent technologies that seek to discourage bats from entering the rotor-swept area or at least limit the amount of time spent there.

The use of ultrasonic deterrent devices that emit one or more high-frequency sounds has been the most tested technique. The idea behind using ultrasound as a deterrent is it disrupts the ability of bats to effectively echolocate (sometimes referred to as signal jamming). According to this idea, introducing ultrasonic noise in the environment in the same frequency ranges that bats use to echolocate makes it difficult for bats to reliably interpret their own ultrasonic vocalizations. Bats are expected to vacate environments
where echolocation is required but becomes unreliable.

Ultrasonic Deterrents To Reduce Bat Mortality at Wind Turbines—Short Science Summary

The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Evaluating Bat Roost Abundance: A Comparison of Drone-Acquired Thermal Imagery and Acoustic Recordings with Visual Observers Jaffe, K., Carter, R., Corcoran, A., Arceo-Gomez, G. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Bats, Birds
One size doesn’t fit all: Singularities in bat species richness and activity patterns in wind-energy complexes in Brazil and implications for environmental assessment Pereira, C., Falcão, F., Bernard, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Bat Impact Assessment: Latrodex Wind Energy Facility Dippenaar, S. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Environmental Impact Assessment
An Updated Review of Hypotheses Regarding Bat Attraction to Wind Turbines Guest, E., Stamps, B., Durish, N., Hale, A., Hein, C., Morton, B., Weaver, S., Fritts, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Collision, Noise Bats
Landscape Decisions to Meet Net Zero Carbon: Pathways that consider ethics, socio-ecological diversity, and landscape functions. Landscape Decisions Report Cole, B., Gardner, E., Willcock, S., Sarats, E., Bradley, A., Earnshaw, K., Fremantle, C., Bezant, J., Finan, J., Ziv, G., Balzter, H. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
Acoustic and Genetic Data Can Reduce Uncertainty Regarding Populations of Migratory Tree-Roosting Bats Impacted by Wind Energy Hale, A., Hein, C., Straw, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Influencing Activity of Bats by Dimly Lighting Wind Turbine Surfaces with Ultraviolet Light Cryan, P., Gorresen, P., Straw, B., Thao, S., DeGeorge, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision Bats
Acoustic Exposure to Turbine Operation Quantifies Risk to Bats at Commercial Wind Energy Facilities Peterson, T., Mcgill, B., Hein, C., Rusk, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Timing and Weather Offer Alternative Mitigation Strategies for Lowering Bat Mortality at Wind Energy Facilities in Ontario Squires, K., Thurber, B., Zimmerling, J., Francis, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement
High vulnerability of juvenile Nathusius' pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus nathusii) at wind turbines Kruszynski, C., Bailey, L., Bach, L., Bach, P., Fritze, M., Lindecke, O., Teige, T., Voigt, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
A review of the effectiveness of operational curtailment for reducing bat fatalities at terrestrial wind farms in North America Adams, E., Gulka, J., Williams, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision Bats
Activity Pattern and Correlation between Bat and Insect Abundance at Wind Turbines in South Sweden de Jong, J., Millon, L., Håstad, O., Victorsson, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Collision Bats, Invertebrates
Assessing fatality minimization for hoary bats amid continued wind energy development Friedenberg, N., Frick, W. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Land suitability assessment for wind farms through best-worst method and GIS in Balıkesir province of Turkey Tercan, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Stakeholder Engagement
Three-dimensional analysis of bat flight paths around small wind turbines suggests no major collision risk or behavioral changes Hochradel, K., Hartmann, S., Reers, H., Luedtke, B., Schauer-Weisshahn, H., Thomsen, K., Hoetker, H., Brinkmann, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Changes in Flow, Collision Bats
Land-Based Wind Energy Siting: A Foundational and Technical Resource Christol, C., Oteri, F., Laurienti, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Experimental and numerical aeroacoustic analysis of an ultrasound whistle Zeng, Z., Sharma, A. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Bats
The Role of Regional-Scale Weather Variables in Predicting Bat Mortality and Bat Acoustic Activity: Potential for Use in the Development of Smart Curtailment Algorithms Farnsworth, A., Horton, K., Heist, K., Bridge, E., Diehl, R., Frick, W., Kelly, J., Stepanian, P. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Collision risk of bats with small wind turbines: Worst-case scenarios near roosts, commuting and hunting structures Hartmann, S., Hochradel, K., Greule, S., Günther, F., Luedtke, B., Schauer-Weisshahn, H., Brinkmann, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
2021 Spring Post - Construction Bat Mortality Monitoring Report Stantec Consulting Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Post-construction bird and bat fatality monitoring studies at wind energy projects in Latin America: A summary and review Agudelo, S., Mabee, T., Palmer, R., Anderson, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities Huso, M., Conkling, T., Dalthorp, D., Davis, M., Smith, H., Fesnock, A., Katzner, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Behavioral patterns of bats at a wind turbine confirm seasonality of fatality risk Goldenberg, S., Cryan, P., Gorresen, P., Fingersh, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Collision, Displacement Bats
The State of the Science on Operational Minimization to Reduce Bat Fatality at Wind Energy Facilities Whitby, M., Schirmacher, M., Frick, W. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
La urgencia de hacer Restauración ecológica en México Mendez-Toribio, M., Izquierdo- Calderón, N., Martinez-Garza, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
ThruTracker: Open-Source Software for 2-D and 3-D Animal Video Tracking Corcoran, A., Schirmacher, M., Black, E., Hedrick, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Bats, Birds
Predicting migration routes for three species of migratory bats using species distribution models Wieringa, J., Carstens, B., Gibbs, H. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Twenty-five years under the wind turbines in La Venta, Mexico: social difference, land control and agrarian change Contreras, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Development and testing of a three-dimensional ballistics model for bat strikes on wind turbines Prakash, S., Markfort, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
U.S. Geological Survey Migratory Bird Science, 2020–21 Pearse, A., Sherfy, M., Wimer, M., Khalil, M., Wiltermuth, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Physical Environment
Proceedings from the State of the Science and Technology for Minimizing Impacts to Bats from Wind Energy Hein, C., Straw, B. Workshop Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Collision Bats
A Biomimetic Ultrasonic Whistle for Use as a Bat Deterrent on Wind Turbines Sievert, P., Modarres-Sadeghi, Y., Smotherman, M., Seyedaghazadeh, B., Dowling, Z., Carlson, D., Dumont, E., Lackner, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Peaks in bat activity at turbines and the implications for mitigating the impact of wind energy developments on bats Richardson, S., Lintott, P., Hosken, D., Economou, T., Mathews, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Bats
Calculation of biodiversity level between different land-uses to improve conservation outcomes of biodiversity offsetting Millon, L., Barre, K., Julliard, R., Compère, P., Kerbiriou, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Bats Flying at High Altitudes McCracken, G., Lee, Y., Gillam, E., Frick, W., Krauel, J. Book Chapter Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Passive Ultrasonic Deterrents to Reduce Bat Mortality in Wind Farms Sharma, A. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Bats
Estimating bat fatality at a Texas wind energy facility: implications transcending the United States–Mexico border Weaver, S., Jones, A., Hein, C., Castro-Arellano, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Local trends in abundance of migratory bats across 20 years Green, D., McGuire, L., Vanderwel, M., Willis, C., Noakes, M., Bohn, S., Green, E., Brigham, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Environmental Impact Assessment
Ultrasonic acoustic deterrents significantly reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines Weaver, S., Hein, C., Simpson, T., Evans, J., Castro-Arellano, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
AWWI Technical Report: 2nd Edition: Summary of Bat Fatality Monitoring Data Contained in AWWIC Allison, T., Butryn, R. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
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