Windmills Take Toll on Wildlife

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 8, 2003 | Rone Tempest

[Willie Green]

ALTAMONT PASS, Calif. — When the giant Altamont wind farm sprouted here two decades ago, the only major objections were aesthetic. Local residents didn't appreciate the forest of 7,000 ungainly wind towers cluttering their view.

No one, apparently, thought about the birds.

Since the phalanx of giant windmills began churning in the air above the Altamont Pass east of San Francisco Bay, an estimated 22,000 birds have died, including hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors, after flying into the spinning blades of the wind turbines.

Now, some environmental groups that routinely supported wind power as a clean, alternative source of electric power are opposing the renewal of permits for the wind farm until steps are taken to reduce the bird deaths.

[Roughneck]

That would never fly, then the birds would not be able to land and make nests, etc.

This reminds me of those environits that are objecting to a fence across certain border areas between CA and Mexico. They were all upset about the birds habitats and such, I mean, I thought a bird could FLY over a darn fence!


The environMental lobby has ulterior motives..we all know that...
What a bunch of maroons.

[bwteim]

You are correct, one must also see mortality in relation to collisions with other man-made objects. From the Google link I found
http://greengold.org/wind/faqs.php

The following is the estimated annual avian collision mortality in the USA

- Vehicles: 60 million - 80 million
- Buildings & windows: 98 million - 980 million
- Power lines: 10,000 to 174 million
- Communication towers: 4 million - 50 million
- Wind turbines: 10,000 - 40,000

Note that above numbers do not include domestic cats and their damage. It appears that wind turbines are at the bottom of the damage category...

[laredo44]

In the spirit of unintended consequences, anybody know what percentage of the local atmospheric energy is removed by the 7000 windmills, and how that reduction might affect local weather?

[Eala]

Since the phalanx of giant windmills began churning in the air [...] an estimated 22,000 birds have died, including hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors,

Let's see, that's 22000 birds total, and since they only say "hundreds" I'll be generous and say 1000 raptors, killed by 7000 windmills over two decades. Let's run the numbers:

22000 / 20 = 1100 birds per year.
1000 / 20 = 50 raptors per year.

1100 / 365.25 = 3.01 birds per day.
50 / 365.25 = 0.136 raptors per day (1/0.136 = 7.3 days / raptor, or one raptor per week)

3.01 / 7000 = 0.0043 birds per day per windmill (1/0.043 = it takes 2326 windmills to kill one bird per day)
0.136 / 7000 = 1.94e-5 raptors per day per windmill (1/1.94e-5 = it takes 51471 windmills to kill one raptor a day)

[Eala]

Interesting numbers. Thanks!

[larryjohnson]

Rush on yr ping list??

[The Great RJ]

There's a lot of wind in using wind power for generating electricity. One problem is that they are either on or off. To meet varing needs one needs lots of windmills to bring on and off to meet demand. They aren't pretty and without question chop up some flying critters particularly if you have lots of them in one place.

While the wind is always blowing someplace it might not be at the wind farm location when there is a demand. I've driven by those vast wind farms in SW Minnesota as well as out here on the SD tundra on blistering hot summer days and haven't seen nary a blade turning while the air conditioners in Minneapolis are panting for power. I'm sure the windmills are also humming along at 2am when a cool early summer breeze drops temps to the 60's and the only lights on are street lights.

Face it windmills just aren't cost efficient as a means of generating electric power.

[biblewonk]

Willie pung me to this one, it really is about windpower.

[Protagoras]

I don't see the problem as long as the parts are made in America.

[biblewonk]

Face it windmills just aren't cost efficient as a means of generating electric power.

Your conclusion doesn't follow from your argument. Cost effective is a measure of the price of the windmill and supporting equipment vs the value of the electricity. Using that measure and allowing the 1.8 penny ptc, they are quite cost effective.

[biblewonk]

Good math. That happens to be the numbers for the worst location for bird kill of a all wind farms. Modern wind farms produce the same power with about 1/25 as many windmills. They are much more carefull about not sighting them in the most densely populated raptor breeding ground in the world too.

[armydoc]

In Germany (and most of the E.U.) these things are going up all over the place. They are fast replacing power lines as the military chopper pilot's worst enemy when flying NOE.

[spokeshave]

Bring BBQ, Beer and some clay (to wrap the birds in) so when baked, removing the baked clay removes the feathers, remove innards, salt and spice to taste.

Just set up the BBQ under the biggest baddest windmill and wait for a suculent tenerised pre killed dinner to drop out of the sky.

If you are lucky will get a spotted owl.

Enjoy

[talleyman]

Shouldn't this be in "Breaking Wind News"?

[newgeezer]

Wind power is a darned silly idea. What worked for a lone farm on the prairie in the 20s is nothing but a feel-good gesture now.

Hoping my friend biblewonk is still a willing evangelist, I'll defer to him.

[newgeezer]

Well said.

'Wonk, we have a friend here!

[biblewonk]

Wind power is a darned silly idea. What worked for a lone farm on the prairie in the 20s is nothing but a feel-good gesture now.

We've done this before I think. What numbers would it take to for wind to be ok in your opinion RW?

[gridlock]

There once was a man from Nantucket who told me that the rich and famous up there, like Robert Kennedy Jr. and Walter Cronkite, are all up in arms about a plan to build wind turbines off the coast. Look for more "Wind Power is Bad" stories as these folks manipulate the media in order to preserve their pristine views.

Windstorm; Why Are 'Environmentalists' Opposing Windmills in Nantucket Sound?

[newgeezer]

Rush talking windmills right now...

Thanks for the heads-up!

'Wonk, please help me to remember to turn on the radio at ~3:45 for the tape-delayed broadcast.

[discostu]

It's not BS, it's just number games. 22,000 birds sounds like a lot. But the windmills have been there 20 years, that's roughly 1100 birds a year. With 7000 windmills that means 1 windmill takes out 1 bird about every 6 1/2 years. No way you'll get piles of corpses at that rate, so they wait 20 years for the numbers to look big.