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
$978,402
Amount Spent
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 ReportThe 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.

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

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

Todd Katzner

David Stoms
Subrecipients

Oklahoma State University-Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management

American Wind Wildlife Institute

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies Appalachian Laboratory

Match Partners

U.S. Geological Survey

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies Appalachian Laboratory

NextEra Energy
