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
Enabling Renewable Energy While Protecting Wildlife: An Ecological Risk-Based Approach to Wind Energy Development Using Ecosystem-Based Management Values Copping, A., Gorton, A., May, R., Bennet, F., DeGeorge, E., Goncalves, M., Rumes, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement
Comparing methods to estimate the proportion of turbine-induced bird and bat mortality in the search area under a road and pad search protocol Maurer, J., Huso, M., Dalthorp, D., Madsen, L., Fuentes, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Transcontinental 2200 km migration of a Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii) across Europe Alcalde, J., Jiménez, M., Brila, I., Vintulis, V., Voigt, C., Petersons, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Factors affecting carcass detection at wind farms using dogs and human searchers del Valle, J., Peralta, F., Arjona, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Evidenzbasierter Fledermausschutz in Windkraftvorhaben Voigt, C. Book Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
An evaluation of bird and bat mortality at wind turbines in the Northeastern United States Choi, D., Wittig, T., Kluever, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Testing and Evaluation of "SafeWind" A Bird Protection System Soni, B., Loske, K., Lackmann, J. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Dogs detect larger wind energy effects on bats and birds Smallwood, K., Bell, D., Standish, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Bat Activity Rates do not Predict Bat Fatality Rates at Wind Energy Facilities Solick, D., Pham, D., Nasman, K., Bay, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Landscape Factors Associated with Fatalities of Migratory Tree-Roosting Bats at Wind Energy Facilities: An Initial Assessment Peters, K., Evans, I., Traiger, E., Collins, J., Mathews, C., Klehr, A. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
South African Bat Fatality Threshold Guidelines: Edition 3 MacEwan, K., Aronson, J., Richardson, K., Taylor, P., Coverdale, B., Jacobs, D., Leeuwner, L., Marais, W., Richards, L. Guidance Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Population-Level Risk to Hoary Bats Amid Continued Wind Energy Development: Assessing Fatality Reduction Targets Under Broad Uncertainty Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Post -Construction Monitoring Studies for the Headwaters Wind Farm Randolph County, Indiana Rodriguez, M., Tredennick, A., DuBridge, K. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Learning from Real-World Experience to Understand Renewable Energy Impacts to Wildlife Conkling, T., Vander Zanden, H., Poessel, S., Loss, S., Allison, T., Diffendorfer, J., Duerr, A., Nelson, D., Yee, J., Katzner, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Assessing population‐level consequences of anthropogenic stressors for terrestrial wildlife Katzner, T., Braham, M., Conkling, T., Diffendorfer, J., Duerr, A., Loss, S., Nelson, D., Vander Zanden, H., Yee, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrent in Reducing Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities - Final Technical Report Schirmacher, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Effects of Wind Turbine Curtailment on Bird and Bat Fatalities Smallwood, K., Bell, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Relating Bat Passage Rates to Wind Turbine Fatalities Smallwood, K., Bell, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Estimates of aerial vertebrate mortality at wind farms in a bird migration corridor and bat diversity hotspot Cabrera-Cruz, S., Cervantes-Pasqualli, J., Franquesa-Soler, M., Munoz-Jimenez, O., Rodriguez-Aguilar, G., Villegas-Patraca, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Long-term Acoustic Assessment of Bats at Spion Kop Reservoir, Montana for 2015-2017 Bachen, D., Burkholder, B., Maxell, B. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement Bats
European free–tailed bat fatalities at wind farms in southern Spain Muñoz, A., Farfan, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Evaluation of an Acoustic Deterrent to Reduce Bat Mortalities at an Illinois Wind Farm Romano, W., Skalski, J., Townsend, R., Kinzie, K., Coppinger, K., Miller, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Influence of landscape and time of year on bat-wind turbines collision risks Roemer, C., Bas, Y., Disca, T., Coulon, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Bats
Impacts to Wildlife of Wind Energy Siting and Operation in the United States Allison, T., Diffendorfer, J., Baerwald, E., Beston, J., Drake, D., Hale, A., Hein, C., Huso, M., Loss, S., Lovich, J., Strickland, M., Williams, K., Winder, V. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
Understanding Wind Energy Impacts to Bats and Testing Reduction Strategies in South Texas Weaver, S. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Red bat fatality: Geographic extents through deuterium and niche models Murtaugh, R., Capparella, A., Kostelnick, J., Johnson, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
A Methodology to Assess the National and Regional Impacts of U.S. Wind Energy Development on Birds and Bats Diffendorfer, J., Beston, J., Merrill, M., Stanton, J., Corum, M., Loss, S., Thogmartin, W., Johnson, D., Erickson, R., Heist, K. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
2018 Post - Construction Monitoring Study Black Oak Getty Wind Project Stearns County, Minnesota Pickle, J., Lombardi, J., Stucker, J., DiDonato, G. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
2018 Post-Construction Monitoring Study Red Pine Wind Energy Facility Lincoln County, Minnesota Trana, M., Hyzy, B., Pickle, J., Gustafson, Z. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
New Creek Wind Project 2018 Post-construction Monitoring Stantec Consulting Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
GenEst Statistical Models — A Generalized Estimator of Mortality Dalthorp, D., Madsen, L., Huso, M., Rabie, P., Wolpert, R., Studyvin, J., Simonis, J., Mintz, J. Book Chapter Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Carcass Age and Searcher Identity Affect Morphological Assessment of Sex of Bats Nelson, D., Nagel, J., Trott, R., Campbell, C., Pruitt, L., Good, R., Iskali, G., Gugger, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Estimating habitat loss due to wind turbine avoidance by bats: Implications for European siting guidance Barre, K., Le Viol, I., Bas, Y., Julliard, R., Kerbiriou, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats
Using network analysis to identify indicator species and reduce collision fatalities at wind farms Sebastian-Gonzalez, E., Perez-Garcia, J., Carrete, M., Donazar, J., Sanchez-Zapata, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Bats
Texturizing Wind Turbine Towers to Reduce Bat Mortality Bennett, V., Hendrix, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision Bats
Estimating the Likelihood of Bat Barotrauma using Computational Simulations and Analytical Calculations Lawson, M., Jenne, D., Thresher, R. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Ultrasonic Bat Deterrent Technology Kinzie, K. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
A review of searcher efficiency and carcass persistence in infrastructure-driven mortality assessment studies Barrientos, R., Martins, R., Ascensão, F., D'Amico, M., Moreira, F., Borda-de-Água, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions
Field validation of radar systems for monitoring bird migration Nilsson, C., Dokter, A., Schmid, B., Scacco, M., Verlinden, L., Backman, J., Haase, G., Dell'Omo, G., Chapman, J., Leijnse, H., Liechti, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Bats, Birds
Inconspicuous echolocation in hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) Corcoran, A., Weller, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
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