The Spring Valley Wind Farm consists of 66 turbines which produce enough power for 40,000 homes. (Courtesy photo)
The number of bats killed by wind turbines at the Spring Valley Wind Farm in 2014 has been reduced by more than 75 percent compared to the same time frame last year. According to Ely’s BLM Field Manager Paul Podborny the reduction comes as a result of changes put in place at the beginning of the year by the company that owns the wind farm, Pattern Energy.
“The mortality surveys that have been done to date this year recorded only 23 bat fatalities. In the same time frame last year, there were 103 bat fatalities recorded,” Podborny said.
After 533 bats were recorded killed by the wind turbines in 2013, tripling the amount allowed by federal regulators, Pattern Energy implemented new “cut-in” speeds for the turbines, increasing the wind speed required to spin the turbine from 7 mph to 11 mph.
Podborny met with representatives from Spring Valley Wind on Aug. 25 to see how effective the required changes had been. Though he will continue to monitor the fatality rate through the end of the year, Podborny said that this “mid-stream check” has shown the changes are working.
“It appears to be working so we are going to continue with the increased cut-in speeds for the rest of the year,” Podborny said. “Based on full-year data, then we will make a determination if we need to change anything more.”
The Spring Valley Wind Farm produces 152-megawatts of energy, enough to power 40,000 homes, which it then sells to NV Energy. Opened on Aug. 8, 2012, the wind farm houses 66 turbines, standing 425 feet tall. Environmentalists opposed the project before it opened for fear that its environmental impact, such as killing bats, would be too great.
The bats killed by the turbines are Mexican free-tail bats, which migrate by the millions through Spring Valley each year. No threatened or endangered bats have been killed.
These mortality estimates given in this article were all obtained with studies rigged to hide mortality. I will also point out that every single study I have looked at by WEST has been scientific garbage. Here is some of the rigged methodology used from the Spring Valley Study: ” In accordance with the ABPP, each year of Mortality Surveys will consist of standardized carcass searches at one-third (22) of the turbines every other week for an entire year (Table 1).”
…………….. Searches should have been daily on the Spring valley turbines.
“In accordance with the ABPP, standardized carcass searches will be
conducted within 126 x 126 meter plots centered on the turbine. Trained field technicians will systematically search each plot for avian and bat fatalities by walking parallel transects spaced approximately 6 meters apart and scan both sides of the transect for carcasses.”………… The search areas should have been at least 200 meters out from turbine bases in all directions.
In one study conducted by West in Maryland, I believe the rigged methodology used for the study hid the deaths to approximately 25,000 bats 7800 birds in 2011. This represents a death rate of 111 birds/MW and 357 bats per/MW or nearly 468 birds and bats killed per MW per year. In the mortality report for these turbines it was claimed that searchers also systematically searched along predetermined in transects. As least that is what hey claimed in the study.
I was told something completely different by an eyewitness (written statement) that he observed on two occasions wind personnel randomly picking up carcasses from around turbines that were at the time having formal mortality surveys. Two people were seen quickly picking up carcasses from the clear areas (roads and graveled areas) around the turbines. They were seen dumping carcasses in a bucket and driving off to the next turbine. They were not seen with a pen, no hand held devices, a computer, no notebooks, they did nothing but grab bodies and drive off.
The man even talked with them. They did not appear to be professional and barely spoke English. He also said he would be willing to testify. This reported activity could have been an organized pre-scan for carcasses ahead of formal searches.
This observed activity was nothing close to being scientific and took place when formal searches were being conducted on these turbines in Maryland. These turbines are also located in the known habitat of the endangered Indiana bat. How many of the unreported 25,000 bats were of this species? We will never know and this is by design.
This was the mortality of just 28 2.5 MW turbines. Their tiny search areas around the huge turbines amounted to about 68% of a 50
distance from towers. These turbines had blades 50 meters in length.
Everyone should read about the thousands of eagles being killed by turbines and blistering comments made by former FWS agents disgusted by this runaway industry. It is all in a recently published three part series on Master
Resource ………..”The voice of dead eagles”.
Hi Jim, as a long-term employee of WEST, I wanted to point out that they are the leaders in conducting bird and bat mortality studies, and are an excellent, science-based consulting company. I can guarantee the assertions of WEST employees not reporting carcasses are pure hogwash. You have every right to be skeptical of the energy industry, and I know that many consulting firms are in the pockets of the companies that hire them. WEST is not one of those, or I would not work for them. Even if what we find is not to our client’s liking, we tell it like it is, and our clients are grateful to know bad news up front than to worry about a skeleton being uncovered later.
Yes, mortality studies are not all conducted equally, and arguing for more frequent checks or more turbines to be sampled makes sense. I have not been involved with Spring Valley, but I am certain our study design incorporates those factors, along with searcher efficiency and carcass removal rate. I am guessing Spring Valley is an easy site to search, since the turbine pads are not obscured by vegetation, and that predator removal of carcasses must be fairly infrequent, to justify a less frequent sampling rate.
What interests me is why this article fails to mention that the wind farm is adjacent to Rose Guano cave, a migratory stopover for free-tailed bats. These aren’t just bats passing through the area. These are individuals that show up, forage in the area for a few nights, and then move on. This sort of behavior would increase the risk of them being whacked by turbines, so a 75% reduction in bat deaths is a huge achievement, and is on par with the effectiveness of wind turbine curtailment on bat deaths across the country. The best thing for bats is increasing that cut-in speed, as most bats are killed on low wind speed nights, which are also less profitable for wind companies. A win-win.
Oh, and numerous studies have shown that 90% of dead bats and birds are found within 30 m of a turbine, regardless of how big the blades are. These are based off of studies that used much greater search radii, all across the country.
Since 1997 approximately 28,600 eagle carcasses in increasing numbers, have been shipped to the National Eagle Repository in Denver. Of these carcasses approximately 18,000 have been bald eagles, the others golden eagles (For more on this topic read the “Voice of Dead Eagles”). The public only knows what happened to 6 of these bald eagles (Pagel FWS 2013). Last year the parts (“pieces”) and bodies from 1795 bald eagles were reported being shipped to the Repository. In the 1990’s it was proven that wind turbines placed in eagle habitat were the number cause of eagle mortality and turbine blades do chop eagles into pieces.
The assessment of risk to eagles from wind turbines by the FWS has all been done with voluntary reporting, hiding bodies, and by using rigged methodology in wind industry studies. In addition the Interior Department is withholding vital data from the National Eagle Repository on the 28,600 eagle carcasses shipped to Denver. And now this corrupt Administration wants to hand out 30 year killing permits for eagles to the wind industry.
The industry has been hiding the bodies of endangered species. In Hawaii 50 have been killed by turbines since 2007 (information leaked in 5/14) and far more killed by turbines have gone unreported because of the use of rigged studies. I have read over the studies used and can confirm that they are like other industry studies and are not even close to being scientific. In fact I have never seen a single credible wind industry mortality study, just some that are worse than others.
The industry has hidden the slaughter of many millions of birds and bats. Currently
the AWEA is claiming they are only killing about an average of 2.9 birds per MW and I expect this fake number will decline along with the increased rigging of wind industry studies taking place. From my research into this industry’s bogus mortality studies, the real number is at least 10-50 times higher depending on locations. Below are some of the ways wind industry studies are being rigged to hide mortality:
(1) By searching turbines that are not operational, ( 2) by searching for bodies in grossly undersized areas around wind turbines, (3) by not searching turbines daily which allows more time for bodies to be consumed by predators,hidden by employees, and picked up by leaseholders wanting to protect their income, (4) By not using trained dogs in searches which could quickly find virtually every carcasses in a large area around each turbine, (5) By avoiding
turbines that are known to be killing the most birds at bats at a wind farms to be included in mortality studies, (6) By avoiding searches during periods of high usage by migrating birds, (7) By not counting mortality wounded birds that have wandered away from turbines, (8) By not counting birds taken to rehab centers which are later euthanized or permanently placed in captivity, (9) Byhiring industry shills to make sure that wind industry protocol is followed,
(10) by not conducting mortality searches the first year of wind farm operation, 11) By letting farming practices plow carcasses into the ground during mortality surveys, (12) By rigging data calculations and by discarding very important carcasses from the data and declaring them “incidental carcasses”. Some so called studies discard hundreds of incidental carcasses. (12) by outright lying about problematic data such as fatalities to endangered species, and most importantly (13) By restricting search areas to the roads and cleared areas around near turbines which also happen to also be the easiest areas for wind personnel to pre-scan for carcasses ahead of formal searches, and (14 ) Pay very close attention to this
one………………by not allowing 24 hour camera surveillance on turbines that would expose the truth regarding mortality.
Camera surveillance on wind turbines was suggested by well meaning biologists over 25 years ago and to this day it has never happened. Besides exposing the horrific wind industry slaughter taking place these cameras would cost a small fraction of the many millions being given to shill biologist for rigging their studies. They have not been used because the industry is rigging every bit of their mortality research.
The Settlement at Altamont between Audubon and the turbine peddlers is a complete disgrace and should be investigated by Congress because the slaughter has not declined as it was agreed to be. Instead the industry is just rigging their studies to make it appear that way. In the meantime the industry has continued to install far more deadly rotor sweep into to the Altamont Pass region.
An investigation into all this will never come under this administration because of folks like Harry Reid who are supporting fraudulent wind industry studies and the Interior Department’s absurd “voluntary regulations” with their deliberate lack of oversight.
Did you ever think that the turbines killed off 75% of the population of bats. Ain’t self imposed reports great?
For the Editor, This is what you are supporting……………………….I have some advice for those planning to make comments on the proposed 30 year eagle killing permits for the wind industry before the deadline on Sept 22.
Do not beat around the bush with your statements. If you think they are liars, tell them. If you think they have been hiding the bodies of endangered species and thousands of eagles, tell them. If you think they are rigging studies (which I have proven many times over) and surveys, tell them. If you believe that
having wings or legs chopped off by a turbine blades and then left to die is 1st
degree animal cruelty, tell them.
Then make them answer very direct and uncomfortable questions. Do not worry about being polite because they do not deserve it.
Also remember this, the FWS answers to the Interior Department and the Interior Department unfortunately answers to the wind industry. These are the bad guys in this and the corruption taking place flows down in this order.
Lastly I will point out something very obvious…….
The Industry has only reported a handful of bald eagles ever having been killed by wind turbines across America. Yet in new projects where their bodies will be found by the public the because of less isolated turbine locations, the FWS estimates that 15-43 Bald Eagles will be killed annually by a single project like that planned on Chesapeake Bay.
How could such eagle mortality estimates ever be made when tens of thousands of turbines running for decades across the remote regions of America have reportedly killed just 6 bald eagles?
The reason for this absurdity is that they (FWS and Interior Department) already know how deadly these turbines are to bald eagles. They know this from the unreported bald eagles being killed at wind farms and their carcasses then shipped off to the National Eagle Repository.
Since 1997 approximately 28,600 eagle carcasses in increasing numbers, have been shipped to Denver . Of these carcasses approximately 18,000 have been bald eagles, the others golden eagles. The public only knows what happened to 6 of these bald eagles (Pagel FWS 2013). Last year the parts (“pieces”) and bodies from 1795 bald eagles were reported being shipped to the Repository.
As I pointed out earlier if you think they are liars tell them before Sept. 22.
Does anyone know of the hypotheses on why increasing the cut in speed could lead to less bats dying? Would the rotors be operating at a higher RPM and bats can better avoid the turbines when that happens? Does the rotors emit a different acoustical signature that keeps the bats away? Do the bats not fly as much at rotor height in 11 mph winds because the bugs are closer to the ground then?
Hi Kevin,
The reason increasing the cut-in speed appears to reduce bat mortality is because most bats die on nights with low wind speeds. Nobody knows for sure why this might be, but likely it is because bats don’t like to fly and/or forage on nights when wind speed is higher, so they are less susceptible to spending time flying/foraging around blades and getting whacked.
The theory that rotors were emitting a high frequency sounds that attracted bats has been tested and refuted.
How about preserving the beautiful mountain scenery White Pine County has to offer. Most everything is now centered for Clark County and the rest of the state doesn’t count. The power generated by the wind turbines is not going to really benefit White Pine County – it is going elsewhere. The blue skies and mountains are incredibly beautiful and yet wind turbines are cluttering up the horizon. I grew up in White Pine County and my parents lived there for many years.