Natural Power is developing a curtailment and mitigation strategy for bats that takes into the account the impact on energy yields at wind farms.
As wind-industry ecologists eagerly await a new phase of good practice guidelines for bat conservation on wind farms, Natural Power’s team compounds its position in this area by launching a new and improved way of working to reduce potential bat fatalities while minimize impacts on energy yield.
Natural Power’s 15 in-house bat experts will closely collaborate with the wind technical team to assess the effect of bat mitigation measures on wind-energy yield. The teams will work together to put a value on curtailment methods and plan the most effective strategies for maintaining and maximizing turbine uptime.
“Our ability to collaborate with our own in-house wind technical team is a huge advantage to us as ecologists,” shared Chris Pendlebury, Director of Ecology and Hydrology at Natural Power. “Not only do we have the ability to reduce bat fatalities through deploying effective curtailment measures, but we can continue to maximize energy output for our clients’ assets. This is a unique proposition, and enables us to add real value to our full-service offering at planning, construction. and operational stages on wind farms here in the UK, and internationally across Europe and North America, where there are much greater bat populations.”
Natural Power’s Ecology and Hydrology department is one of the largest specialist teams in the UK and offers support based on over 150 years of combined industry leading experience. The team has delivered bat services to Keirs Hill Wind Farm, East Ayrshire, where a full baseline assessment was completed including the use of bat detectors at height, and preparation of the impact assessment as part of the environmental survey. Additionally, the team is ensuring that bat issues are properly dealt with during construction at the Twin Rivers Wind Farm in Yorkshire.
It is expected that the Bat Conservation Trust will launch new, more stringent guidance in relation to bats and wind farms in May, and the industry should be prepared to adhere to these new requirements.
To learn more about Natural Power’s bat research and initiatives, click here.
Natural Power
www.naturalpower.com
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