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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
A New Stochastic Dynamic Tool to Improve the Accuracy of Mortality Estimates for Bats Killed at Wind Farms Bastos, R., Santos, M., Cabral, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Bird Mortality at a Wind-Energy Facility near a Wetland of International Importance Grodsky, S., Jennelle, C., Drake, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Displacement, Collision, Avoidance, Attraction Birds
Reducing Bat Fatalities From Interactions with Operating Wind Turbines (Fact Sheet) Lawson, M. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats
Examining potential effects of marine renewable energy developments on top predators Philpott, E. Thesis Marine Energy, Tidal Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment
Reducing Bat Fatalities from Interactions with Operating Wind Turbines National Wind Technology Center Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Diving Behaviour of Black Guillemots Cepphus grylle in the Pentland Firth, UK: Potential for Interactions with Tidal Stream Energy Developments Masden, E., Foster, S., Jackson, A. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy Collision Birds
Simulating Collisions for Hydrokinetic Turbines Richmond, M., Romero-Gomez, P., Rakowski, C. Report Marine Energy Collision Fish
Bird Communities and Wind Farms: A Phylogenetic and Morphological Approach Herrera-Alsina, L., Villegas-Patraca, R., Eguiarte, L. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Birds
Who Should be Afraid of a Tidal Turbine - The Good the Bad or the Ugly? Hammar, L., Ehnberg, J. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal Collision Fish, Pelagic Fish
Potential Effects of the Interaction Between Marine Mammals and Tidal Turbines - An Engineering and Biomechanical Analysis Carlson, T., Jepsen, R., Copping, A. Conference Paper Marine Energy, Tidal Collision Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Assessment of Offshore Wind Farm Effects on Birds and Needs to Plan their Future Development in Spain Mateos-Rodriguez, M., Muñoz, A., Arroyo, G. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
Bat Resources Reports for Beech Ridge Wind Energy Project US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Final 2012-2013 Annual Report Avian and Bat Monitoring Project Vasco Winds, LLC Brown, K., Smallwood, K., Karas, B. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Challenges and opportunities for animal conservation from renewable energy development Katzner, T., Johnson, J., Evans, D. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision Ecosystem Processes
Fågelundersökningar vid Storruns vindkraftanläggning, Jämtland (Bird surveys at Storrun's wind farm, Jämtland) Falkdalen, U., Lindahl, L., Nygård, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Ground-Nesting Birds
The Relative Vulnerability of Migratory Bird Species to Offshore Wind Energy Projects on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf: An Assessment Method and Database Willmott, J., Forcey, G., Kent, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement Birds
Tracking Marine Mammals Around Marine Renewable Energy Devices Using Active Sonar Hastie, G. Report Marine Energy Collision Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Long-Term Trends in Fatality Rates of Birds and Bats in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, California Smallwood, S. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Bats: Implications for Conservation Arnett, E., Baerwald, E. Book Chapter Wind Energy Displacement, Collision, Avoidance, Attraction Bats
Planning Scotland's Seas: SEA of Plans for Wind, Wave and Tidal Power in Scottish Marine Waters Environmental Report APS Group Scotland Report Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise, Vessel Strike Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts
Estimating Bat and Bird Mortality Occurring at Wind Energy Turbines from Covariates and Carcass Searches Using Mixture Models Korner-Nievergelt, F., Brinkmann, R., Niermann, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Bats
Tidal barrages in the UK: Ecological and social impacts, potential mitigation, and tools to support barrage planning Hooper, T., Austen, M. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy Collision Social & Economic Data, Human Dimensions, Ecosystem Processes
Assessment of Zooplankton Injury and Mortality Associated With Underwater Turbines for Tidal Energy Production Schlezinger, D., Taylor, C., Howes, B. Journal Article Marine Energy, Tidal Collision Ecosystem Processes
Regional-Scale Modelling of the Cumulative Impact of Wind Farms on Bats Roscioni, F., Russo, D., Di Feggraro, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Collision Bats
Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrent for Reducing Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines Arnett, E., Hein, C., Schirmacher, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Bats
Estimation of Bird and Bat Mortality at Wind-Power Farms with Superpopulation Models Peron, G., Hines, J., Nichols, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds, Bats
Measuring the Interaction between Marine Features of Special Protection Areas with Offshore Wind Farm Development Sites Through Telemetry: Third Year Report Thaxter, C., Ross-Smith, V., Johnston, A. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Survey of Bat Mortalities at a Wind-Energy Facility in North Dakota Bicknell, L., Gilliam, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Is Male-Biased Collision Mortality of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) in Florida Associated with Flock Behavior Folk, M., Dellinger, T., Leone, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Thresholds for Bats Killed by Wind Turbines Arnett, E., Barclay, R., Hein, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Application of GIS and Spatial Analysis of Golden Eagle Fatalities Caused by Wind Turbines at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Pinger, A. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Report of the IWG on Wind Turbines and Bat Populations 2013 Rodrigues, L. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats
Assessing Vulnerability of Marine Bird Populations to Offshore Wind Farms Furness, R., Wade, H., Masden, E. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds
Criteria and Case Definitions for Serious Injury and Death of Pinnipeds and Cetaceans Caused by Anthropogenic Trauma Moore, M., van der Hoop, J., Barco, S. Journal Article Noise, Collision Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Estimation of bird fatalities at wind farms with complex topography and vegetation in Hokkaido, Japan Kitano, M., Shiraki, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Effectiveness of an Operational Mitigation Experiment to Reduce Bat Fatalities at the Pinnacle Wind Farm, Mineral County, West Virginia, 2012 Hein, C., Prichard, A., Mabee, T. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Bats
Bat Fatality at a Wind Energy Facility in the Western Cape, South Africa Aronson, J., Thomas, A., Jordaan, S. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Collision Bats
White-Tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) at the Smøla Wind-Power Plant, Central Norway, Lack Behavioral Flight Responses to Wind Turbines Dahl, E., May, R., Hoel, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Collision Birds
Effectiveness of Search Dogs Compared with Human Observers in Locating Bat Carcasses at Wind-Turbine Sites: A Blinded Randomized Trial Mathews, F., Swindells, M., Goodhead, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Birds and Wind Projects Across the Pond: A UK Perspective Langston, R. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Habitat Change Birds

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