10 Years of Collaboration on Solutions for Wind Energy and Wildlife

Spring Valley, Pattern Energy

Solving Wind-Wildlife Challenges for a Sustainable Energy Future

A Challenge …

With over 89 gigawatts installed in the U.S., wind energy continues to expand, providing jobs, energy security, and helping reduce emissions. Like all forms of energy production, wind can pose some risks to wildlife. There is a need to accurately assess these risks and produce cost-effective, science-based solutions.

… That We Can Solve

Through collaboration and credible science, AWWI and partners are developing solutions to pave the way for a sustainable, clean energy future where wind energy and wildlife can both thrive.

Reports in AWWI's searchable Documents Library

Number of companies and organizations that partner with AWWI

Number of technologies being developed worldwide intended to avoid and minimize collisions

Lee Jay Fingersh/NREL, Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

A Groundbreaking Collaboration

We are a partnership of leaders in the wind industry, wildlife management agencies, and science and conservation organizations who collaborate on a shared mission:

To facilitate timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat.

AWWI Partners

Get Involved All partners & friends

Enabling Sustainable Results

AWWI uses novel approaches to assess risk and reduce uncertainty. This informs permitting, siting, and operation to advance wind energy and improve conservation.

Technology makes it possible to minimize impacts to birds and bats. Collaborative research identifies priorities and informs best practices to avoid, minimize, and offset impacts.

Through outreach and collaboration, AWWI shares the latest research and helps partners implement wind-wildlife solutions.

Our Work

Hoary Bat By Adam Searcy, Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

White Paper

New AWWI White Paper on Bats and Wind Energy

A new AWWI white paper, Bats and Wind Energy: Impacts, Mitigation, and Tradeoffs, provides an overview and review of what is known about wind energy’s impacts to bats, incorporating findings from the recent AWWI technical paper on a new analysis of post-construction fatality data. The paper also discusses the tradeoff of expanding wind energy to meet urgent emissions mitigation needs and accepting some uncertainty about risk to bats.

Tri-colored bat by USFWS, Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Story Series

New Success Story on Bats and Wind Energy

To operate wind energy that is safer for bats, collaboration on assessing the risk and developing and applying solutions is key. And that collaboration is happening, with new data analysis tools and exciting technological advancements underway.

Golden Eagle By ahisgett, Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0

Report

Results of DTBird Evaluation

AWWI’s Technology Innovation program completed a pilot test of DTBird, a technology designed to detect and deter birds, to evaluate its ability to detect and deter large raptors and reduce the risk of collisions of these birds with wind turbines.