Install Windmills, But Not At Cost Of Birds

Buoyed up by wind power, Germany has been the frontrunner in the global energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources. Lately, wind power organisations are lobbying to increase their number even faster, particularly in the sensitive North Sea and the Baltic. This has posed a dilemma for conservationists who generally support renewable energy. The windmills, with massive blades, are known to kill birds and bats. KATHRIN AMMERMANN, who heads the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), tells JITENDRA how the government is trying to curb environmental impact of clean energy.

- Jitendra

Germany is a torchbearer in the use and production of renewable energy. But the increasing incidence of birds colliding with windmills has put the country in the spot. Has there been studies to establish that bird casualty is rising due to the increasing number of windmills?

Several research projects have investigated the effect of windmills on birds. A German government-funded report, “Prognosis and assessment of bird collision risks at wind turbines in northern Germany” published in 2016 reveals a bleak situation. It says about 7,800 common buzzards, 11,000 wood pigeons and 11,800 mallards get killed every year in Germany by windmills.

Also, since 2002, the State Office for the Environment in Brandenburg (a north-eastern state of Germany known for the highest wind power production in the world) has been maintaining a list of birds and bats that get killed after collision with windmills. Its data shows that the most registered bat species are the common noctule (Nyctalus noctula) and the Nathusius’s pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii). Migratory birds are especially at high risk as they usually fly during night.

What is the government doing to minimise the dangers windmills pose to the avian population?