Summary of Bats and Land-Based Wind Energy Development in the United States and Canada

Hoary Bat

Deployment of wind energy over the past 20 years has increased renewable energy generation, but also raised concerns regarding the impact of wind turbine collisions on certain bat species (Friedenberg and Frick 2021). In 2012, the estimated number of bat fatalities from wind energy development in the United States and Canada ranged from 196,190 to 395,886 (Arnett and Baerwald 2013). The installed capacity across the two countries at the time was approximately 66,000 megawatts. Since then, the installed capacity of wind energy has more than doubled (Rand et al. 2020); therefore, the number of annual bat fatalities has likely increased as well.

A total of 22 species of bats have been reported as fatalities at wind energy facilities in the United States and Canada (American Wind Wildlife Institute 2020). Migratory tree-roosting species, including the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), and silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans), constitute approximately 72% of bat carcasses reported, but other species, such as the Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), can make up a significant portion of fatalities in the southern United States (Arnett and Baerwald 2013; Zimmerling and Francis 2016; American Wind Wildlife Institute 2020; Weaver et al. 2020). Wind turbines are also known to cause fatalities of federally endangered species including the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), northeastern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and Hawaiian hoary bat (Lasiurus semotus), but occurrences are relatively rare (Erickson et al. 2016; Gorresen et al. 2020). Differences in behavior, abundance, and other factors likely contribute to the variability in fatality rates among bat species.

Data on relative age and sex of individual carcasses is inconclusive as it is difficult to determine this information from many of the carcasses that are recovered during searches (Korstian et al. 2013; Nelson et al. 2018; Chipps et al. 2020). The lack of demographic data for many bat species makes it difficult to assess the potential population-level impacts of wind turbines. Given that many species have a small population and slow growth rate, it has become increasingly important to better understand the long-term impact of wind energy on certain species of bats (Barclay and Harder 2003; Kunz et al. 2007; Russell et al. 2014; Frick et al. 2017; Friedenberg and Frick 2021).

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 Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
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
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
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
Harnessing AI for Bat Videography Research and Conservation Corcoran, A. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
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
Bats and Wind Turbines: Adding Ecological Context to the Olfaction Hypothesis Clerc, J., Rogers, E., Fuller, N., Jonasson, K., Dempsey, L., Brokaw, A., Weller, T. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
A passive, blade-mounted ultrasonic bat deterrent for wind turbines Zeng, Z., Huang, S., Alexander, W., Sharma, A. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Bats
Guidance on biodiversity cumulative impact assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure Bennun, L., Fletcher, C., Cook, A., Wilson, D., Jobson, B., Asante-Owusu, R., Dakmejian, A., Liu, Q. Guidance Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Habitat Change, Noise, Vessel Strike Bats, Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Stakeholder Engagement
Design of a Launcher for Wildlife Collision Simulation on Wind Turbines to Validate Strike Detection Systems Roadman, J., Goldhor, R., Hein, C., Ivanov, C., Rooney, S. Presentation Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
A decade of curtailment studies demonstrates a consistent and effective strategy to reduce bat fatalities at wind turbines in North America Whitby, M., O'Mara, M., Hein, C., Huso, M., Frick, W. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Flight behaviour of Red Kites within their breeding area in relation to local weather variables: Conclusions with regard to wind turbine collision mitigation Aschwanden, J., Stark, H., Liechti, F. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats, Birds
Potential for spatial coexistence of a transboundary migratory species and wind energy development Huang, T-K., Feng, X., Derbridge, J., Libby, K., Diffendorfer, J., Thogmartin, W., McCracken, G., Medellin, R., Lopez-Hoffman, L. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision Bats
Context-dependent effects of wind turbines on bats in rural landscapes Sotillo, A., Le Viol, I., Barre, K., Bas, Y., Kerbiriou, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Avoidance, Collision Bats
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy and Their Implications for Forest Ecosystems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Global Review on Environmental Impacts of Onshore Wind Energy in the Field of Tension between Human Societies and Natural Systems Sander, L., Jung, C., Schindler, D. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change, Noise Bats, Birds, Human Dimensions, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts
Environmental impact of wind farms from a biodiversity perspective: A comparative study of terrestrial and marine wind farms Kończak, K. Thesis Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Marine Mammals
Detection and validation of common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) with a pulse radar and acoustic monitoring in the proximity of an onshore wind turbine Krapivnitckaia, P. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Bats
Regulations for Bat Protection in Mexico's Wind Farms Uribe, M., Aguilera, J., Villada-Canela, M., Peynador, C., Briones-Salas, M., Hein, C. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Bats, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy
Distribution of common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) activity is altered by airflow disruption generated by wind turbines Leroux, C., Barre, K., Valet, N., Kerbiriou, C., Le Viol, I. Journal Article Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind Attraction, Avoidance Bats
Opportunities for enhancing biodiversity at wind and solar energy developments Jobson, B., Cook, A., Fletcher, C., Bennun, L., Murrell, L., Asante-Owusu, R., Liu, Q. Report Wind Energy, Land-Based Wind, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind Attraction, Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change Bats, Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Reptiles, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Stakeholder Engagement
Displaying 1 - 40 of 692 results