Bird deaths causing concern about true value of wind farm

Houston Chronicle ^ | 12-21-2003 | Rone Tempest

[buffyt]

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 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, the largest in the world in number of turbines, until steps are taken to reduce the bird deaths.

"Renewing these permits without addressing the cumulative impacts of wind energy on migratory birds, especially raptor species, will give a black eye to wind power," said Michael Boyd, president of Californians for Renewable Energy, a Santa Cruz-based organization that generally supports alternative energy sources such as wind power. Joining in the effort is the Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit group known for its litigious approach to wildlife protection.

The two organizations have asked the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to reverse a recent decision by a local zoning board granting permit renewals to some of the wind power operators. Quoting from recent research for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the California Energy Commission, they estimate that over the past 20 years, 22,000 birds have died in the Altamont windmills.

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Paul Kerlinger.

[buffyt]

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Kerlinger."

Is there some kind of STUPID PERSON award we can give to this person???????????????????????

[RLK]

No one, apparently, thought about the birds.

-----------------------

I went to a conference of electricity generation between 25 and 30 years ago. It was stated then that windmill were an environmental hazard because they chopped up birds.

[1john2 3and4]

he mustve had the lights turned "on" alot when he was young....killed his brain cells

[al baby]

I just turned on all my lites and now im runing my table saw

[Professional Engineer]

something has to be done, after all it's "for the birds"!

[chiller]

Stop! Stop! YOU'RE KILLING MEEEEEE!!!

[KellyAdmirer]

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Paul Kerlinger.

Ok, let's all feel guilty about getting out of bed in the morning. We are all monsters who kill every time we move our monstrous carcasses.

Btw, can't they build screens around the windmills or something? I've no love for wind energy, but I have been sick of expensive energy investments that get wiped out ever since Shoreham.

[o_zarkman44]

Environmentalists can go live in caves if they want to support nature. The rest of us will live and prosper, using our God given brains.

[NMFXSTC]

Damn birds! I was innocently crusing along I-40 going west and a damn bird flew right into the spokes n my Harley's front wheel! Beny a couple of spokes and made a bit of a mess of my gas tank and chromed lowers....and I feel really guilty!

I guess Harley-Davidsons are a huge contributor to this bird KIA thing too?

The inhumanity of it all!

[robertpaulsen]

"The cost of wind power, about 10 cents per kWh, is one of the highest for any kind of present-day electricity generation (cf. 4 cents per kWh for high-cost nuclear)."
-- oism.org

Without a government subsidy, wind farms would lose money.

[Reeses]

The new World Trade Center tower will be equipped with pigeon slicers.

[Mike Darancette]

Are there any birds in the Netherlands?

[stylin_geek]

As per usual, these people think you can get something for nothing. The killing of birds is obvious, however, there is no way to put up wind turbines and not have some kind of subtle environmental impact. Removing energy from prevailing winds always has some kind of environmental impact on the ecosystem behind the wind turbines.

[mhking]

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Paul Kerlinger.

So when you turn on the lights, you are turning the fans up to "liquify?"

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Wonder Warthog]

"Btw, can't they build screens around the windmills or something? I've no love for wind energy, but I have been sick of expensive energy investments that get wiped out ever since Shoreham."

No--any screening would decrease the air velocity, and thus the efficiency of generation. Wind energy is STRONGLY dependent on wind speed--as I recall extractable energy is something like the velocity to the fourth power--so even a tiny decrease in wind velocity drops efficiency significantly.

Nuclear (fission) energy is basically cheap. The reason it is so expensive today is 1) delaying tactics (lawsuits about almost everything) lengthening building times and increasing the interest cost of borrowing the money, and 2) un-necessary regulations of all sorts. Both of the above promulgated by the "watermelon" (i.e Green---green on the outside, red on the inside) exco-fanatics.

[07055]

"Save the planet. Kill yourself."

[Professional Engineer]

The Bird-O-Matic: It slices, It dices...

[gitmo]

Thanks for the link.

The renewable resource best beloved of ecophiles is wind power. Despite decades of subsidies (amounting to more than $1,200 per installed kilowatt), wind power remains stubbornly uneconomic. One problem is that the wind usually refuses to blow hardest at times of peak demand for electricity, generating only about 7.5 megawatts per 50 MW of nameplate capacity at peak. (Perhaps there are 42.5 negawatts?) ``Wind farms'' are thus sometimes called ``tax farms.''

The cost of wind power, about 10 cents per kWh, is one of the highest for any kind of present-day electricity generation (cf. 4 cents per kWh for high-cost nuclear).

But even environmentalists are turning against wind power because of the ``avian mortality'' problem. The windmills act as ``bait and executioner'' because rodent populations multiply rapidly at the base of the windmills that protect them against predators. ``How many dead birds equal a dead fish equal an oil spill?'' is the question. The 1,731 installed megawatts have killed some 10,000 birds. On a percentage basis, windmills at Altamont Pass kill eight times as many bald eagles as the Valdez oil spill every year. (Though it is a federal crime to kill a bald eagle, no windmills or wind farmers have been prosecuted yet.)

Other externalities include visual blight and the environmental impact of manufacturing large quantities of steel and concrete.

Another favorite, solar power, while coming down in price from around 25 per kWh to a claimed 8 cents due to improved photovoltaic cells, still costs three times as much as new gas-generated capacity. The often-ignored externalities are also substantial. Just producing the concrete for a 1,000 MW nameplate solar capacity results in carbon emissions equivalent to burning 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas, a year's worth of fuel for a similar gas-fired plant.

Solar plants are also bird killers. Bird deaths per megawatt at Solar One operated by Southern California Edison, primarily due to collisions with mirror-like surfaces, were 10 times as high as at Altamont Pass. The installation of the Kramer Junction Luz site killed numerous desert tortoises and ground squirrels as they were displaced from their natural habitat. Moreover, the production of photovoltaic cells results in toxic chemical pollution (arsenic, gallium, and cadmium).

Hydropower, long a favorite of renewable energy buffs, has fallen from favor. Capacity may actually decline due to concerns about endangered fish.



CIVIL DEFENSE PERSPECTIVES: Negawatts

[thoughtomator]

And I suppose stringing up some nets so the birds won't get sucked into the turbines isn't an option? Too intelligent a solution for the enviromarxists?

[nuconvert]

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Paul Kerlinger

Pass the candles.