Collision

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: 1586

Searches title and abstract.
Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Monitoring and Researching Ecological Effects of Dutch Offshore Windfarms, Masterplan 2.0 and Appendix Arcadis Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Using Spatial Analyses of Bearded Vulture Movements in Southern Africa to Inform Wind Turbine Placement Reid, T., Kruger, S., Whitfield, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Raptors, Birds
The visual fields of Common Guillemots (Uria aalge) and Atlantic Puffins (Fratercula arctica): foraging, vigilance and collision vulnerability Martin, G., Wanless, S. Journal Article Collision Birds, Seabirds
Post-Construction Avian and Bat Mortality Monitoring at the Alta Wind Energy Center, Phase X, Kern County, California. Final Report for the First Year of Operation: March 2014 – March 2015 Chatfield, A., Levenstein, K., DiDonato, G. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
A Collision Risk Model to Predict Avian Fatalities at Wind Facilities: An Example Using Golden Eagles, Aquila chrysaetos New, L., Bjerre, M., Millsap, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
Bird Movements at Rotor Heights Measured Continuously with Vertical Radar at a Dutch Offshore Wind Farm Fijn, R., Krijgsveld, K., Poot, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Avoidance Seabirds, Passerines, Birds
MR7.2.3 Collision Risk and Impact Study: Field Tests of Turbine Blade-Seal Carcass Collisions Thompson, D., Brownlow, A., Onoufriou, J. Report Tidal, Marine Energy Collision Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
MR7.2.1 Collision Risk: A Brief Review of Available Information on Behaviour of Mammals and Birds in High Tidal Energy Areas Onoufriou, J., Thompson, D. Report Tidal, Marine Energy Collision Marine Mammals, Birds
Estimating Wind-Turbine Caused Bird and Bat Fatality when Zero Carcasses are Observed Huso, M., Dalthorp, D., Dail, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Do Habitat Characteristics Determine Mortality Risk for Bats at Wind Farms? Modelling Susceptible Species Activity Patterns and Anticipating Possible Mortality Events Ferreira, D., Freixo, C., Cabral, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
MR7.2.2 Collision Risk and Impact Study: Examination of Models for Estimating the Risk of Collisions Between Seals and Tidal Turbines Lonergan, M., Thompson, D. Report Tidal, Marine Energy Collision Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Game Birds do not Surrogate for Raptors in Trials to Calibrate Observed Raptor Collision Fatalities Urquhart, B., Hulka, S., Duffy, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Raptors
Occurrence of peaks in songbird migration at rotor heights of offshore wind farms in the southern North Sea Krijgsveld, K., Fijn, R., Lensink, R. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
Repowering Smøla Wind-Power Plant: An Assessment of Avian Conflicts Dahl, E., May, R., Nygård, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Collision Raptors, Birds
Regional Analysis of Wind Turbine-Caused Bat Mortality Drake, D., Jennelle, C., Liu, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
A Review of Bird Strike Mortality at Irish Onshore Windfarms Fennelly, R. Magazine Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Observation of Sandhill Cranes' (Grus canadensis) Flight Behavior in Heavy Fog Kirsch, E., Wellik, M., Suarez, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Curtailing Wind Turbine Operations to Reduce Avian Mortality Singh, K., Baker, E., Lackner, M. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Avoidance Ground-Nesting Birds, Birds
Ecological Monitoring using Wildlife Detection Dogs: Bat Carcass Searches at the Wanlip Wind Turbine Stanhope, K. Magazine Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
2nd Iteration: Effect of turbine capacity on collision numbers for three large gull species, based on revised density data, when assessing cumulative effects of offshore wind farms on birds in the southern North Sea van der Wal, J., Fijn, R., Gyimesi, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
State of Understanding: Risk of Blade Strike from Current Energy Converters Brown-Saracino, J. Presentation Marine Energy Collision Fish, Marine Mammals
Obstacle Avoidance in Social Groups: New Insights from Asynchronous Models Croft, S., Budgey, R., Pitchford, J. Journal Article Collision Birds
Effectiveness of operational mitigation in reducing bat mortality and an assessment of bat and bird fatalities at the Sheffield Wind Facility, Vermont Martin, C. Thesis Wind Energy Collision Bats, Birds
Advancing a Key Consenting Risk for Tidal Energy: The Risk of Marine Mammal Collision for In-Stream Tidal Energy Devices Booth, C., Sparling, C., Wood, J. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal Collision Marine Mammals
Understanding the Risk to Marine Mammals from Collision with a Tidal Turbine Copping, A., Jepsen, R., Grear, M. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal Collision Marine Mammals
Improvements to Probabilistic Tidal Turbine-Fish Interaction Model Parameters Tomichek, C., Colby, J., Adonizio, M. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal Avoidance, Collision Fish, Demersal Fish
Fish Behavioral Response during Hydrokinetic Turbine Encounters Based on Multi-Beam Hydroacoustics Results Bevelhimer, M., Scherelis, C., Colby, J. Conference Paper Marine Energy Avoidance, Collision Fish
Ecological Impacts of Wind Farms on Birds: Questions, Hypotheses, and Research Needs Wang, S., Smith, P. Journal Article Wind Energy Displacement, Collision, Avoidance, Attraction Birds
Wildlife and Renewable Energy: German Politics Cross Migratory Bats Voigt, C., Lehnert, L., Petersons, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Proceedings of the Wind-Wildlife Research Meeting X PNWWRM X Conference Paper Wind Energy Collision Bats, Birds
Insufficient Sampling to Identify Species Affected by Turbine Collisions Beston, J., Diffendorfer, J., Loss, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Hywind Scotland Pilot Park Seabirds and Marine Mammals Technical Report Xodus Group, Natural Research Ltd Report Wind Energy, Floating Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Marine Mammals
Report of the IWG on Wind Turbines and Bat Populations 2015 Rodrigues, L. Report Wind Energy Collision Bats
Design and Testing of an Integrated Wildlife-Wind Turbine Interactions Detection System Flowers, J. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
A Probabilistic Model for Hydrokinetic Turbine Collision Risks: Exploring Impacts on Fish Hammar, L., Eggertsen, L., Andersson, S. Journal Article Marine Energy Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision Fish, Pelagic Fish
Estimates and Correlates of Bird and Bat Mortality at Small Wind Turbine Sites Minderman, J., Fuentes-Montemayor, E., Pearce-Higgins, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Limited Impact of a Small Residential Wind Turbine on Birds on an Off-Shore Island in Maine Morris, S., Stumpe, B. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Camera-Trapping as a Methodology to Assess the Persistence of Wildlife Carcasses Resulting from Collisions with Human-Made Structures Paula, J., Bispo, R., Leite, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision
Species composition and mortality of bats at the Osório Wind Farm, southern Brazil Barros, M.A.S, Gastal de Magalhães, R, Rui, A.M Journal Article Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Evaluation of Behavior and Survival of Fish Exposed to an Axial-Flow Hydrokinetic Turbine Amaral, S., Bevelhimer, M., Cada, G. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy Collision, Avoidance Pelagic Fish, Fish, Demersal Fish
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