AWWI Webinar: Minimizing Collision Impacts for Bats at Operational Wind Facilities, Part 2: Deterrence

This is the second in a two-part webinar series hosted by AWWI and sponsored by NREL and the Department of Energy on technologies and strategies to minimize bat collision fatalities at operating wind energy facilities.

Some bats are at risk of collision with operating wind turbines, but technologies and strategies can provide solutions for minimizing these impacts. Deterrence strategies, which aim to actively discourage bats from entering the high-risk rotor-swept zone using signals designed to help them perceive and avoid the risk or repel them from approaching the turbine, show promise for reducing bat collision fatalities.

This webinar featured presentations, a panel discussion, and Q&A by experts on what we’re learning about different deterrence approaches, current research projects, and novel approaches to effective deterrence.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Presenters/Panelists:

• How Low Can You Go? Past, Present, and Future Directions of an Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrent for Reducing Bat Fatalities,
  • Presenter: Sara Weaver, Bowman
• Self-Powered, Self-Standing Ultrasonic Emitter for Bat Deterrent
  • Presenter: Sauro Liberatore, Mide Technologies
• Passive Ultrasonic Deterrents to Reduce Bat Mortality in Wind Farms
  • Presenter: Anupam Sharma, Iowa State University
• Additional Panelists:
  • Paul Sievert, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Brad Romano, Invenergy