Wind turbine-related fatalities of bats were first observed over 40 years ago, but it was not until the early 2000s when unexpectedly high numbers of fatality events were discovered at wind energy facilities in the eastern U.S. that the impacts of wind turbines on bats became a concern. Fatality rates vary dramatically and can range from zero to more than 100 bats/turbine/year at individual wind energy facilities. However, certain patterns are evident across the northern hemisphere. For example, fatalities are most frequent during late summer and autumn and are often concentrated during nights with warm temperatures and low wind speeds. Understanding these patterns helped in developing the first strategies to reduce fatality by altering turbine operations during the timing and conditions bats were most vulnerable.
Estimates of fatality indicate hundreds of thousands of bats are killed annually at wind turbines both in Europe and North America. Given bats are longlived and typically only have 1 to 2 pups per year, existing fatality rates may not be sustainable for certain species. Recent studies indicate population-level declines are possible, particularly given the anticipated growth of wind energy development. However, demographic and population data are limited for most bat species, making it difficult to determine population sizes and trends. In the European Union, all bats are protected under the Habitats Directive and several species are on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. In contrast, only a few species are afforded legal protection in North America under either the United States’ Endangered Species Act or Canada’s Species at Risk Act.
The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrating 3-D thermal videography, ultrasonic acoustics, and weather radar to characterize bird and bat activity at wind turbines | Shultz, A., Solick, D., Whitby, M., Newman, C., Corcoran, A. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Avoidance | Bats, Birds | |
| Synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and distance to settlements in the spatial allocation of wind power | Luukkonen, S., Räsänen, A., Koivula, M., Tolvanen, A. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change | Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts | |
| 3rd Edition: Summary of Bat Fatality Monitoring Data Contained in AWWIC Land-based Wind Energy Monitoring Database | Schauber, E., Butryn, R., Felton, S. | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Species-specific acoustic responses by bats to ultrasonic stimuli used for reducing bat-wind turbine interactions | Guest, E., Weaver, S., Hale, A., Morton, B., Hein, C., Fritts, S. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Airflow Dynamics and Bat Behavior Near Wind Energy Turbines and Trees | Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision | Bats | |
| Pooling information across sites and years to estimate bat fatalities at wind farms | Berberian, N., Dixon, P. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Impacts of Renewable Energy Sources on Biological Diversity and Conservation: An Overview | Saad, S., Mohamed Abou El Leil, I. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds, Raptors | |
| Song flight and 3D thermal detection provide evidence for bat attraction to wind turbines in Central Europe | Nagy, M., Hochradel, K., Haushalter, C., Simon, R., Weber, N., Behr, O., Knörnschild, M. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| A Structured Techno-Economic and Socio-Regulatory Comparison of Onshore, Fixed-Bottom Offshore, and Floating Offshore Wind Energy Systems | Koondhar, M. A., Afridi, S. K., Alsenani, T., Mahariq, I., Zeinoddini-Meymand, H., Shahnia, F., Touti, E. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | Bats, Birds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts | |
| Assessing vertical stratification of bats and nocturnal insects to infer potential collision risk at wind turbines in central Thailand | Srilopan, S., Krauel, J., Srilopan, K., Voigt, C., Bumrungsri, S. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds | |
| Establishing baselines for echolocating bat activity at wind farms in mainland Southeast Asia | Furey, N., Tu, V., Hitch, A., Pilgrim, J., Kunzer, M. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Evaluation of the Impact of Environmentally Driven Curtailment Regulations on Wind Farm Energy Production | Gonzalez, J., Rodríguez, A., Expósito, A., Santos, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Hierarchical mixture models and high-resolution monitoring data can inform siting and operational strategies to mitigate bat fatalities at wind turbines | Labuzzetta, C., Johnson, A., Andress, A., Bohner, T., Grajal-Puche, A., Seymour, M., Straw, B., Thogmartin, W., Udell, B., Wiens, A., Diffendorfer, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Bird and bat mortality at wind farms in South America: Lessons from monitoring and mitigation practices in Chile | Santander, F., Morant, J., Perez-Garcia, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds | |
| Minimizing aviation lighting duration reduces bat attraction to wind turbines | Larnoy, G., Verniest, F., Kerbiriou, C., Le Viol, I., Lefebvre, P., Valet, N., Barre, K., Leroux, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Lighting | Bats | |
| Testing a bat fatality detection system at wind turbines | Weaver, S., Ritter, J., Commiskey, A., Garcia, J., Morton, B. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| New frontiers in wind-wildlife monitoring systems | Dempsey, L., Clerc, J., Hein, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Displacement | Bats, Birds | |
| Impacts on birds and bats from onshore wind farms in Australia | Reid, K., Baker, G.B. | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change | Bats, Birds | |
| Harnessing AI for Bat Videography Research and Conservation | Corcoran, A. | Presentation | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Wind Energy Interactions with Wildlife Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Based on the State of the Science | Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Noise | Bats, Birds | |
| Accelerating technology development to monitor and minimize effects from land-based wind energy on birds and bats | Gottlieb, I., Hein, C., Field, P., Allison, T. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds | |
| Migratory Strategy is a Key Factor Driving Interactions at Wind Energy Facilities in At-Risk North American Bats | Campbell, C., Nelson, D., Nagel, J., Clerc, J., Weller, T., Wieringa, J., Fraser, E., Longstaffe, F., Hale, A., Lout, M., Pruitt, L., Guralnick, R., Vander Zanden, H. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Unravelling the relationship between digitalisation and sustainable energy transitions using socio-technical-ecological scripts | Schmidt-Scheele, R., Mattes, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats, Birds | |
| Systematic Review of Crop Pests in the Diets of Four Bat Species Found as Wind Turbine Fatalities | Hale, A., Foo, C., Lloyd, J., Stucker, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Attraction, Collision | Bats | |
| Spatiotemporal patterns in sex ratios of bat fatalities at wind energy facilities in the United States | Weaver, S., Hale, A., Nelson, D., Fritts, S., Katzner, T., Chipps, A., Korstian, J., LiCari, S., Nagel, J., Williams, D. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Bat protection during the expansion of wind energy - Assessment of the impact of new-generation wind turbines on the collision risk of bats | Mammen, K., Mammen, U., Henrichmann, C. | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats | ||
| Integrating Biodiversity Impacts into Life Cycle Assessment: Applied to a case study of onshore wind power production | Demyanenko, S. | Thesis | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise | Bats, Birds, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Life Cycle Assessment | |
| Acoustic exposure reveals variation in curtailment effectiveness at reducing bat fatality at wind turbines | Peterson, T., Rusk, A., Byrne, C., Aghababian, S., Edwards, S. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Proceedings of the 15th Wind Wildlife Research Meeting | Gottlieb, I. | Workshop Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision, Displacement | Bats, Birds | |
| Ultrasonic deterrents provide no additional benefit over curtailment in reducing bat fatalities at an Ohio wind energy facility | Clerc, J., Huso, M., Schirmacher, M., Whitby, M., Hein, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| The costs of wind energy permitting compliance actions for regulated bats in the US | Newman, C., Surrey, K. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data | ||
| Predicting risk to bat species from wind turbine collision in Southeast Asia | Crane, M., Silvia, I., Grainger, M., Gale, G. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Mapping bird and bat assemblage vulnerability for predicting wind energy impact | Morant, J., Naves-Alegre, L., Garcia, H., Tena, E., Sanchez-Navarro, S., Nogueras, J., Ibanez, C., Sebastian-Gonzalez, E., Perez-Garcia, J. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Los murciélagos Mexicanos y la energía eólica: un breve recuento de los daños | Muñoz Jiménez, O., Villegas Patraca, R. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats | ||
| Advancing bat monitoring: Assessing the impact of unmanned aerial systems on bat activity | Roswag, M., Roswag, A., Fietz, J., Taefi, T. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Activity-based Informed Curtailment: Using Acoustics to Design and Validate Smart Curtailment to Reduce Risk to Bats at Wind Farms | Peterson, T., Aghababian, S., Byrne, C. | Report | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Collision | Bats | |
| Propuesta de lineamientos para el monitoreo, evaluación, prevención y mitigación de los impactos de los parques eólicos sobre la quiropterofauna en México | Uribe Rivera, M. | Thesis | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats | ||
| Wind turbines displace bats from drinking sites | Scholz, C., Klein, H., Voigt, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Displacement | Bats | |
| The trans-european catchment area of common noctule bats killed by wind turbines in France | Merlet, M., Soto, D., Arthur, L., Voigt, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Bats | ||
| A modeling framework for biodiversity assessment in renewable energy development: A case study on European bats and wind turbines | Froidevaux, J., Le Viol, I., Barre, K., Bas, Y., Kerbiriou, C. | Journal Article | Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind | Habitat Change | Bats |