The replacement of fossil and nuclear energy sources for electricity production by renewables such as wind, sun, water and biomass is a cornerstone of Germany’s energy policy.
The replacement of fossil and nuclear energy sources for electricity production by renewables such as wind, sun, water and biomass is a cornerstone of Germany’s energy policy.
Amongst these, wind energy production is the most important component. However, energy production from wind is not necessarily ecologically sustainable. It requires relatively large spaces for installation and operation of turbines, and bats and birds die after collisions with rotors in significant numbers. For these reasons, the location and operation of wind energy plants are often in direct conflict with the legal protection of endangered species. The almost unanimous opinion of experts from local and central government authorities, environmental NGOs and expert offices is that the current mechanisms for the protection of bats in wind power projects are insufficient. This is one conclusion from a survey by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) published in the "Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy".
More than 500 representatives of various stakeholders (expert groups) involved in the environmental impact assessment of wind turbines took part in the Leibniz-IZW survey. This group included employees of conservation agencies and government authorities, representatives of non-governmental organisations in the conservation sector, consultants, employees of wind energy companies and scientists conducting research on renewable energies or on biodiversity. The survey focused on assessments on the contribution of wind energy to the transformation of the energy system, on ecologically sustainable installation and operation of wind turbines and on possible solutions for the trade-off between tackling climate change and protecting biological diversity.
Read more at Forschungsverbund Berlin
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