Skip to main content

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: 1637

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
Remote Techniques for Counting and Estimating the Number of Bird-Wind Turbine Collisions at Sea: A Review Desholm, M., Fox, A., Beasley, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Information Needs to Support Environmental Impact Assessments of the Effects of European Marine Offshore Wind Farms on Birds Fox, A., Desholm, M., Kahlert, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Upland Raptors and the Assessment of Wind Farm Impacts Madders, M., Whitfield, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Avoidance Raptors, Birds
Bird Migration Studies and Potential Collision Risk with Offshore Wind Turbines Hüppop, O., Dierschke, J., Exo, K. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement Birds, Passerines
The Effect of Avoidance Rates on Bird Mortality Predictions Made by Wind Turbine Collision Risk Models Chamberlain, D., Rehfisch, M., Fox, A. Journal Article Wind Energy Displacement, Collision, Avoidance, Attraction Waterfowl, Seabirds, Raptors, Birds
Radio Telemetry as a Tool for Impact Assessment of Wind Farms: The Case of Little Terns Sterna albifrons at Scroby Sands, Norfolk, UK Perrow, M., Skeate, E., Lines, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds, Seabirds
Assessing the Impacts of Wind Farms on Birds Drewitt, A., Langston, R. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds
Efforts to Reduce Mortality to Hydroelectric Turbine-Passed Fish: Locating and Quantifying Damaging Shear Stresses Cada, G., Loar, J., Garrison, L. Journal Article Marine Energy, Riverine Collision Fish
Impacts of Wind Farms on Birds in Evros and Rhodopi, Greece: Preliminary results Ruiz, G., Poirazidis, K., Schindler, S. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement Birds, Raptors
Bird collision monitoring system for multi megawatt wind turbines WT-Bird: Summary of prototype development and testing Wiggelinkhuizen, E., Rademakers, L., Barhorst, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Impacts on Biodiversity of Exploitation of Renewable Energy Sources: The Example of Birds and Bats Hötker, H., Thomsen, K., Jeromin, H. Report Wind Energy Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
Final Results of Bird Studies at the Offshore Wind Farms at Nysted and Horns Rev, Denmark Petersen, I., Christensen, T., Kahlert, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change Birds, Seabirds
Evaluation of Blade-Strike Models for Estimating the Biological Performance of Large Kaplan Turbines Deng, Z., Carlson, T., Ploskey, G. Report Marine Energy, Riverine Collision Fish, Pelagic Fish
Environmental effect studies – Status more than two years after the erection of Horns Rev and Nysted Offshore Wind Farms Boesen, C., Andersen, S. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals
Battered by harsh winds - must bats pay the price for wind energy? Tuttle, M. Magazine Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Attraction Bats
Impacts on Wildlife and Government Responsibilities for Regulating Development and Protecting Wildlife Office, United States Government Accountability Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Displacement, Collision, Avoidance Legal & Policy, Human Dimensions, Birds, Bats
Bird Mortality at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area: March 1998 - September 2001 Smallwood, K., Thelander, C. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Avian Collision Risk at an Offshore Wind Farm Desholm, M., Kahlert, J. Journal Article Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Avoidance Waterfowl, Birds
Bird Strikes and Electrocutions at Power Lines, Communication Towers, and Wind Turbines: State of the Art and State of the Science - Next Steps Toward Mitigation Manville, A. Conference Paper Wind Energy Collision Birds
Assessment of Avian Mortality from Collisions and Electrocutions Dorin, M., Speigel, L., McKinney, J. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
Relationships between Bats and Wind Turbines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia: An Assessment of Fatality Search Protocols, Patterns of Fatality, and Behavioral Interactions with Wind Turbines Arnett, E., Erickson, W., Kerns, J. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Proceedings of the Onshore Wildlife Interactions with Wind Developments: Research Meeting V Schwartz, S. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds
TADS Investigations of Avian Collision Risk at Nysted Offshore Wind Farm Desholm, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Waterfowl, Seabirds, Passerines, Birds
Behavior of Red-Tailed Hawks in a Wind Turbine Development Hoover, S., Morrison, M. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Raptors, Birds
Resident Golden Eagle Ranging Behaviour Before and After Construction of a Windfarm in Argyll Walker, D., McGrady, M., McCluskie, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Birds, Raptors
Investigations of migratory birds during operation of Horns Rev offshore wind farm. Annual status report 2004 Christensen, T., Hounisen, J. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision Birds
Use of Pressure-Sensitive Film to Quantify Sources of Injury to Fish Cada, G., Smith, J., Busey, J. Journal Article Riverine, Marine Energy Collision Fish
Preliminary Investigations of Bird-Turbine Collisions at Nysted Offshore Wind Farm and Final Quality Control of Thermal Animal Detection System (TADS) Desholm, M. Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision, Avoidance Waterfowl, Seabirds, Birds
Bat Activity, Composition, and Collision Mortality At a Large Wind Plant in Minnesota Johnson, G., Perlik, M., Erickson, W. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Bats
WT-Bird: Bird Collision Recording for Offshore Wind Farms Wiggelinkhuizen, E., Rademakers, L., Barhorst, S. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Collision Birds
Avian Monitoring and Risk Assessment at the Tehachapi Pass Wind Resource Area: Period of Performance: October 2, 1996 - May 27, 1998 Anderson, R., Newmann, N., Tom, J. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Birds
A Preliminary Assessment of Potential Avian Interactions at Four Proposed Wind Energy Facilities on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California: Period of Performance: November 2001 - May 2002 BioResource Consultants Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Assessment of Bat Mortality and Activity at Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, Eastern Tennessee Fiedler, J. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Proceedings of the Wind Energy and Birds/Bats Workshop: Understanding and Resolving Bird and Bat Impacts Schwartz, S. Workshop Article Wind Energy Collision Bats, Birds
Does the Wind Power Industry Threaten Marbled Murrelets or Do Marbled Murrelets Threaten the Wind Power Industry? Cooper, J., Beauchesne, S. Conference Paper Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Collision Birds, Seabirds
Bouw en exploitatie van een windmolenpark op de Thorntonbank in de Noordzee: Milieueffectenbeoordeling van het project ingediend door de n.v. C-Power Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM) Report Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind Attraction, Avoidance, Chemicals, Collision, Habitat Change, Lighting, Noise Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy
Comparison of Blade-Strike Modeling Results with Empirical Data Ploskey, G., Carlson, T. Report Riverine, Marine Energy Collision Fish
Behavioural and Environmental Correlates of Soaring-Bird Mortality at On-Shore Wind Turbines Barrios, L., Rodríguez, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Displacement Birds, Raptors
When Blade Meets Bat Williams, W. Magazine Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
The Effects of a Wind Farm on Birds in a Migration Point: The Strait of Gibraltar de Lucas, M., Janss, G., Ferrer, M. Journal Article Wind Energy Collision, Avoidance Birds

Displaying 1521 - 1560 of 1637 results