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Collision

Birds flying past a wind turbine farm
Direct contact between an animal and a device component.

Any part of a renewable energy device that moves has the potential to have a deleterious effect on both resident and migratory organisms. Collisions between animals and tidal or wind turbine blades could result in injury or death, either by direct contact with the device or by pressure changes created around the moving parts. The probability of a collision with a blade may vary based on the rotational or mechanical speed of the moving parts, the presence and density of animals in the area, the time of day, weather conditions, and the ability of animals to sense and evade the device. Carcasses found around land-based wind turbines provide an estimate of bird and bat fatalities, while it is much more difficult to estimate the effect of collisions with offshore wind turbines. To date there have been no observed collisions of marine mammals or diving seabirds with tidal turbines. Wave energy devices also have moving parts such as heave plates, flaps, and other large heavy components that could potentially cause harm, although the likelihood is thought to be extremely small. Collisions resulting in injury and death of individual animals with moving parts of devices become particularly important if the loss of those individuals affect the stability and sustainability of the population in the area.

For more information relevant to marine energy, check out the Collision Risk Short Science Summary produced by OES-Environmental.

For more information relevant to offshore wind energy, check out the Bat and Bird Interactions with Offshore Wind Energy research brief produced by SEER.

Marine and Wind Energy Environmental Documents

Tethys is a knowledge hub that contains documents on the environmental effects of wind and marine energy. The table below contains all of the documents in the Tethys Knowledge Base associated with Collision.

Total: 1656

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Potential environmental effects of deepwater floating offshore wind energy facilities Farr, H., Ruttenberg, B., Walter, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
2021 Spring Post - Construction Bat Mortality Monitoring Report Stantec Consulting Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Risk Assessment Program for Tidal Energy: Year One Report Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) Report Collision Fish
A systemic view of potential environmental impacts of ocean energy production Martinez, M., Vázquez, G., Pérez-Maqueo O. Journal Article Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Salinity Gradient, Tidal, Wave Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Physical Environment, Fish, Marine Mammals
Feasibility study of large-scale deployment of colour-ringing on Black-legged Kittiwake populations to improve the realism of demographic models assessing the population impacts of offshore wind farms O’Hanlon, N.J., Wischnewski, S., Ewing, D. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Birds, Seabirds
A pathway for citizen science data to inform policy: A case study using eBird data for defining low-risk collision areas for wind energy development Ruiz-Gutierrez, V., Bjerre, E., Otto, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Capercaillie and Wind Energy: An international research project Taubmann, J., Coppes, J., Andrén, H. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
Detection-reaction systems in onshore windfarms, a mitigation solution to reduce bird fatalities: Principles for a relevant assessment of their performances Corbeau, A., Dupont, S., Besnard, A. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes
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. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Collision Risk for Migratory Birds Facing Wind Energy Installations in Europe in Relation to Wind Energy Production Tito, D. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Developing a simulation-based approach to Collision Risk of Tidal Energy Converters and Marine Wildlife Horne, N. Thesis Marine Energy Collision
The clash between biodiversity protection and renewable energy development in the European Union with reference to the Habitats and the Birds Directive s Aikaterini, N. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities Huso, M., Conkling, T., Dalthorp, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Wildlife Mortality in Wind Turbine Transformer Basins Meyer, S., Matlack, R., Ray, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Risk of Avian Collisions in Wind Turbines Matsuda, H., Sugimoto, H., Shimada, Y. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Birds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Adaptive management to improve eagle conservation at terrestrial wind facilities New, L., Simonis, J., Otto, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Raptors
Behavioral patterns of bats at a wind turbine confirm seasonality of fatality risk Goldenberg, S., Cryan, P., Gorresen, P. 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
ThruTracker: Open-Source Software for 2-D and 3-D Animal Video Tracking Corcoran, A., Schirmacher, M., Black, E. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Bats, Birds
Insect fatalities at wind turbines as biodiversity sinks Voigt, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Invertebrates
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
Field testing an “acoustic lighthouse”: Combined acoustic and visual cues provide a multimodal solution that reduces avian collision risk with tall human-made structures Boycott, T., Mullis, S., Jackson, B. Journal Article Collision 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
Quantifying Turbine-Level Risk to Golden Eagles Using a High-Fidelity Updraft Model and a Stochastic Behavioral Model Tripp, C., Sandhu, R., Lawson, M. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
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
Near-term ecological forecasting for dynamic aeroconservation of migratory birds Horton, K., Van Doren, B., Albers, H. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Lighting Birds, Human Dimensions, Navigation
An Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Extracting Marine Renewable Energy in the Coastal Environment of the Black Sea Zburlea, L., Rusu, E. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment
Predicting Bald Eagle Collision at Wind Energy Facilities Nasman, K., Bay, K., Mattson, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
Supporting National Environmental Policy Act Documentation for Offshore Wind Energy Development Related to Avian Species Research Fernandez, K., Middleton, P., Salerno, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds
A predictive model for improving placement of wind turbines to minimise collision risk potential for a large soaring raptor Murgatroyd, M., Bouten, W., Amar, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
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
Estimating bird flight height using 3-D photogrammetry Prinsloo, N., Postma, M., Ryan, P. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Birds
Impact of wind power plants on mammalian and avian wildlife species in shrub- and woodlands Schöll, E., Nopp-Mayr, U. Journal Article Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Terrestrial Mammals
Assessing the vulnerability of breeding bird populations to onshore wind-energy developments in Finland Balotari-Chiebao, F., Valkama, J., Byholm, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
AWWI Technical Report: Performance of the GenEst Mortality Estimator Compared to the Huso and Shoenfeld Estimators Rabie, P., Riser-Espinoza, D., Studyvin, J. Report Wind Energy Collision Bats, Birds
U.S. Geological Survey Migratory Bird Science, 2020–21 Pearse, A., Sherfy, M., Wimer, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds, Passerines, Raptors, Physical Environment
Vineyard Wind 1 Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Novel Application and Validation of a Method to Assess Visual Impacts of Rotating Wind Turbine Blades Within Woodland Areas Nopp-Mayr, U., Kunz, F., Suppan, F. Journal Article Wind Energy Avoidance, Collision Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Visual Impacts
Monitoring of geese in the territory of Integrated System for Protection of Birds, Winter 2020-2021 Zehtindjiev, P., Whitfield, D. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement Birds, Waterfowl
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

Displaying 561 - 600 of 1656 results