Wildlife Groups Team with AWS on Multi-layered Wind Resource and Wildlife Map

Carl Levesque, AWEA
October 04, 2011 | 5 Comments

An online map designed by the American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) combines wind resource data with wildlife and environmental information to assist wind developers as they consider sites.

The map, called a “Landscape Assessment Tool” (LAT), provides information about the environmental, wildlife, and wind resource characteristics of a given geographic area to help with preliminary screening of wind power development sites and conservation strategies. Providing the wind resource data was renewable energy consulting and information services company AWS Truepower, LLC. Wind resources for the map are based on 80-meter heights, the typical hub height of wind turbines for the entire continental U.S.

“The data that AWS Truepower has provided for the AWWI/TNC Landscape Assessment Tool reflects the latest knowledge in wind resource assessment,” said AWS CEO Bruce Bailey. “We are delighted to help develop a tool that will be useful to wind power developers and the conservation community alike.”

AWWI Executive Director Abby Arnold explained that the tool offers “early, general guidance” to assist with the preliminary screening of geographic areas for potential wildlife risks, and to help with the design of any conservation plans and mitigation strategies that may be called for. “AWWI is working with partners to make this a ‘go-to’ tool to support wind energy development while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat,” she said.

AWWI and The Nature Conservancy said they are continually working to enhance and expand the LAT, and are currently exploring a range of interactive applications. The LAT is one of several initiatives that AWWI and AWWI partners are undertaking to facilitate timely and responsible development of wind energy while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Carl Levesque is the Communications Editor at AWEA. This article first appeared in the AWEA Windletter and was reprinted with permission from the American Wind Energy Association.

5 Comments

Penny Melko
October 14, 2011

aligatorhardt. You keep comparing a bad form of energy with another bad form of energy.

By the way, how many eagles do you think have been killed by cats, compared to turbine blades and overhead transmission lines?

I live in the Tehachapi Pass. Too bad this site doesn't allow for inserting pictures because I would give everyone an eyefull of the blight caused by them.

Allen Gerhardt
October 13, 2011

Pollution is the biggest threat to wildlife, with acidification and chemical and heavy metal pollution coming from coal power plants fouling the waters. When you oppose replacement of coal plants you provide far greater damage to birds than wind turbines. No sensible environmentalist will choose the greater of two harms. There are many fake voices in the wind opposition camp that hide their true motivations for wanting to continue the present dirty and expensive power schemes. All major environmental organizations support wind power over coal or nuclear power. Solar power is cleanest, but only produces part time, where wind continues at all hours. Wind power in good locations on land is also the lowest cost system for electricity needs. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/what-do-winds-cost-price-and-performance-trends-show-three-cents-per-kilowa/

Penny Melko
October 12, 2011

aligatorhart. Your statements are about the most ignorant I've heard in a while. It's finger pointing. He's doing it, me too. Unless you live around hundreds upon hundreds of turbines you have absolutely NO idea about the damage to birds. I used to work in the penthouse suite of a building in Los Angeles where birds hit the windows. A very sharp building manager (female) stopped it from happening ever again.

Cats eat birds. So, what does this have to do with wind turbine blades killing America's national bird, the Bald eagles? They are 2 different situations with 2 different solutions. Just for the record, the me-too defense doesn't hold water.

Until the wind industry wakes up to the fact they must scrap that junk they call wind turbines for a design that doesn't kill birds, construction doesn't wreck 100% of the project area, eliminate the noise, vibration and low frequency noise that penetrates a home. These are are bad science experiments being pushed down the throats of the public. The excuses become more feeble by the moment.

Allen Gerhardt
October 11, 2011

Every study conducted has shown bird impacts to be less than buildings, cars, power lines and cats, pollution from fossil fuels and nuclear, and pesticides. When we eliminate all those bird death hazards, then it is time to be concerned with wind turbines. In the meanwhile we can consider those who complain about bird deaths to be fossil fuel supporters fraudulently masquerading as environmentalists.
http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/05/10/business/vinalhaven-wind-turbines-kill-fewer-than-10-birds-yearly-study-says/?ref=latest

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/realstories/release_030111_2.cfm

http://cleantechnica.com/2011/07/20/the-fossil-fuel-industry-continues-attacks-on-wind-energy-the-wind-industry-pushes-back-with-facts/

Penny Melko
October 6, 2011

Now all you have to do is to convey this all to the birds.

Redesign those turbines so there is a zero percent kill rate please? What kind of designers would conceive a product that doesn't even take the environment into consideration. Dumb.

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Carl Levesque

Carl is Editor & Publications Manager at the American Wind Energy Association, where has worked since 2006. At AWEA he oversees AWEA's online and print publications including the Wind Energy Weekly, Windpower Update, and other products....