Learning from Real-World Experience to Understand Renewable Energy Impacts to Wildlife

Streamlining renewable energy permitting with new tools.

U.S. Geological Survey

Recipient

Henderson, NV

Recipient Location

beenhere

$978,402

Amount Spent

closed

Completed

Project Status

Project Result

The project was completed in 2019, and the final report was received. Despite compiling more than 600 environmental reports, researchers concluded that it is largely impossible to assess the utility of pre-construction wildlife surveys to predict post-construction effects because of the lack of standardization. About 3,000 samples were prepared for isotopic analysis to determine the geographic origin of individuals. The research team developed populations models for 29 species to estimate the effect of fatalities at renewable energy facilities. Of the birds killed, those of predominantly local origin were especially likely to have lower population growth rates (they are declining) and greater adult survival (they are long-lived). The team shared sample material from carcasses with the team from EPC-15-043. The study published two journal articles, with several more underway.

View Final Report

The Issue

There is a general lack of data to adequately determine some impacts of renewable generation on wildlife and habitat loss. This lack of understanding presents challenges to assessing, mitigating, and permitting new renewable energy development.

Project Innovation

This research used real-world data to understand renewable energy impacts to wildlife. The researchers analyzed data on wildlife fatalities and habitat loss to determine the significance of fatalities to population persistence; compared pre-construction predicted and post-construction actual impacts (fatalities) to sensitive species, as a foundation for improving predictive accuracy; and compared predicted and actual benefits of mitigation to sensitive species, as a foundation for improving predictive accuracy. The research goal was to gain a better understanding of the actual environmental impacts of renewable energy generation for wildlife. The information gathered through this process can then be used by land and wildlife managers and permitting and regulatory agencies to reduce those environmental impacts, thus lowering financial and environmental costs from energy generation.

Project Benefits

This project developed and applied a unique combination of stable isotope analysis and demographic modeling to characterize wildlife populations of interest affected by fatalities at renewable energy facilities in California. The project also developed a novel application of techniques that evaluates statistical models to improve forecasting of wildlife fatality rates and mitigation outcomes. The approach was high-tech, scientifically-innovative, and ultimately subject to peer-review via publication in scientific journals. Implementation of this set of tools will benefit ratepayers by streamlining permitting and reducing costs of energy development and electricity.

Lower Costs

Affordability

This project is expected to help streamline environmental permitting management (improving reliability and cost). Likewise, improved prediction of fatality and mitigation outcomes can ease and improve regulatory compliance.

Environmental & Public Health

Environmental Sustainability

Refining predictions associated with infrastructure development will reduce impacts to wildlife and improve mitigation effectiveness in future renewable energy development.

Greater Reliability

Reliability

Having a better understanding of wildlife impacts and how to mitigate them could lead to more capacity via new renewable energy developments and higher capacity factors (e.g., reduced curtailments).

Key Project Members

Project Member

Todd Katzner

Research Wildlife Biologist
David Stoms

David Stoms

CEC Project Manager
California Energy Commission

Subrecipients

Rocket

Oklahoma State University-Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management

Rocket

American Wind Wildlife Institute

Rocket

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies Appalachian Laboratory

Rocket

Match Partners

Rocket

U.S. Geological Survey

Rocket

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies Appalachian Laboratory

Rocket

NextEra Energy

Rocket

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