Initiatives
As one of the cleanest and most commercially viable energy sources, wind energy will play a critical role in reducing climate change. The U.S. Department of Energy has said that achieving a 20% wind energy contribution to the nation’s energy supply by 2030 will significantly reduce our carbon footprint.
Achieving this goal means tripling the number of wind turbines the wind industry installs every year from approximately 2,000 in 2006 to 7,000 in 2017.
Though wind development ultimately benefits the environment, like many human activities, it can result in negative impacts on wildlife. Impacts were first identified as primarily relating to bird and bat mortality. However, more recent developments in the relationship between wind siting and wildlife habitat suggest that much more can be done to develop methods and conduct research that enhance project planning and mitigation guidance.
AWWI, a first-of-its-kind collaborative national institute, aims to provide answers to an important question:
How do we quickly deploy clean energy while protecting critical wildlife and wildlife habitat?
AWWI is the premier source for wind farm siting solutions that minimize impact on wildlife. AWWI provides needed research data and advises on how best to utilize data sets in determining project site locations.
AWWI guides best practices through four primary initiatives:
With these initiatives, AWWI will create a better decision matrix for industry to use in developing methods and scenarios to optimize a cost-effective and responsible build-out of wind energy.