Painting one wind turbine blade can reduce bird fatalities by 72%
Easy trick, no?
A small study in Norway has shown that painting one blade of a wind turbine black reduced bird and bat mortality by over 70%.
Yes, just paint one of the blade in black and you will save thousands of birds. Amazing, no?
As described in their abstract:
Laboratory experiments have indicated that painting one of three rotor blades black minimizes motion smear (Hodos 2003, Minimization of motion smear: Reducing avian collisions with wind turbines).
The results of this first experiment were tested at the Smøla wind-power plant in Norway:
The annual fatality rate was significantly reduced at the turbines with a painted blade by over 70%, relative to the neighboring control (i.e., unpainted) turbines. The treatment had the largest effect on reduction of raptor fatalities; no white-tailed eagle carcasses were recorded after painting.
Applying contrast painting to the rotor blades significantly reduced the collision risk for a range of birds.
Painting the rotor blades at operational turbines was, however, resource demanding given that they had to be painted while in-place.
In other words, the painting should be done before the construction. Amazing how something so easy to do (black paint on one of the rotor blade), could change the lives of thousands of birds living or flying in the vicinity of large wind farms…
I wonder why I’m not seeing that more around…
They should first do away with wind turbines altogether. Huge Eyesore and huge mistake of using them for power in the first place . They trash them after a certain time and they don't break down in landfills. Do we need more reasons not to buy into the lie? Plus....Last winter in Texas proved they are a power grid that cannot be relied upon.