How Black Paint Can Cut back Chicken Deaths From Wind Generators

Wind generators kill quite a lot of birds, notably eagles and different raptors. The precise quantity is unknown, as a result of lots of the world’s wind farms don’t monitor chicken deaths. One mitigation thought to scale back these numbers—and assuage a political argument towards wind generators—is gaining traction: Paint one turbine blade black. Ecologist Roel Could spoke with IEEE Spectrum about his 11-year examine to scale back raptor deaths, and his shock on the lukewarm reactions from wind-turbine engineers.

How unhealthy are wind generators for birds?

Roel Could: It relies upon so much on the place you set the generators, and whether or not there’s breeding or foraging areas close by, and the species of birds. In the event you put wind generators smack in the course of a susceptible inhabitants, the impact could be fairly massive. That’s what occurred in Norway on the island of Smøla, which is a scorching spot for white-tailed eagles. That’s the place we did our examine.

Why are eagles inclined to wind generators?

Could: Raptor species like eagles are excellent at flying, however they don’t look straight forward; they give the impression of being down on the floor for prey. They like to make use of updrafts to soar, however updrafts are frequent close to ridges the place wind situations are good for generators. In order that’s a nasty mixture.

Does the wind-turbine kind make a distinction?

Could: Bigger generators kill extra birds as a result of their blades take up extra space. However the place wind generators are smaller, there’s usually extra of them, so these wind farms could find yourself killing extra birds than farms with fewer, bigger generators, not less than onshore. Offshore wind farms are tougher to review: You may’t depend the precise variety of birds that die as a result of you’ll be able to’t discover them; they fall into the ocean and so they’re gone. Some researchers are attempting to document collisions with chicken radar, cameras, and different methods.

You discovered that portray one blade black resulted in a 70 p.c decline in chicken deaths. Ought to all wind farms be doing this?

Could: Our examine is one thing that ought to be repeated in different places as a result of there are possible site-specific and species-specific results. A gaggle in the Netherlands painted blades and hasn’t seen a transparent impact. So we’d like extra research. There’s one examine getting into South Africa the place they painted a blade pink, and a few others which can bebeginning in Wyoming, Italy, and Spain. The United Kingdom is planninga pilot challenge for offshore generators. However these research are laborious to do as a result of the operator has to get exemptions from rules to color the blades and rent licensed painters who can rappel up and down. And it takes quite a lot of time. We collected knowledge on eagles in Smøla for seven years earlier than the blades have been painted. After we painted, we spent 4 extra years learning the results.

How did engineers reply to your examine?

Could: Lots of people from turbine producers requested if I had thought-about the technical implications of this. I hadn’t, as a result of I’m an ecologist, not an engineer. Apparently black blades will warmth up greater than white blades, which can trigger structural results. And the black paint is made with carbon, which may have an effect on the turbine’s efficiency when hit by lightning. Engineers don’t like that. So we have to overcome these disciplinary silos and work collectively to develop practical mitigation measures.

This text seems within the June 2025 print concern as “Roel Could.”