Center, Internet, Wildlife Damage Management
Human–Wildlife Interactions
Introduction: Wildlife and Wind Energy: Are They Compatible?
Date of this Version
Spring 2016
Document Type
Article
Citation
Human–Wildlife Interactions (Spring 2016) 10(1): article 2
doi: 10.26077/zw8k-yy81
Special topic: Wildlife and wind energy: Are they compatible?
Abstract
The world is hungry for energy, and with growing concerns about the exacerbating effects of burning fossil fuels on climate change, there has been a profound demand for and, thus, rapid growth of clean, renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. The United States is one of the world’s leaders in wind energy development. As of September 2014, there were 46,600 operational wind turbines, having a total generating capacity of 62,300 mW. An additional 1,254 mW came online in 2014, and there are currently 13,600 mW under construction (Today’s Energy Solutions 2014). In addition, the U.S. Department of Energy recently revised its original estimate of 20% of electrical energy being produced by wind by 2030 to a projected 35% by 2050 (Jackson 2015). This would mean tens of thousands of new turbines, many of which may be 152 to 213 m high, with blades as long as a football field, traveling at up to 274 km per hour. It would also mean hundreds of kilometers of new power lines and towers to carry this power into the national grid (Wernau 2014), both of which pose a substantial risk to wildlife, primarily birds, through collision and electrocution (Manville 2005, Loss et al. 2014).
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It is important that we find solutions to the current challenges surrounding wind energy development in the United States and globally. Wind energy may be 1 key to a sustainable future in energy production, but it is not without its drawbacks. Some politicians and conservation organizations have seemingly embraced wind power completely, without posing difficult questions about its impact on wildlife or its regulation or operation; this probably is due to their legitimate fears about climate change. However, for the future of our wildlife, we must make sure that green energy development is truly green, and that means minimizing its impact on our native wildlife and their habitats (Hutchins and Bies 2010). This can only happen through open and honest discussion and through science-based approaches to risk assessment, siting, valid evaluation of impacts, effective mitigation, and improved regulation. We hope that this special issue contributes to these goals.