Environment & Energy

XemaSab

(60,212 posts) Thu Jul 18, 2013, 08:35 PM Jul 2013

Water Birds Turning Up Dead at Solar Projects in the Desert

Big desert solar installations have a problem: They seem to be imperiling water birds. A ReWire investigation has revealed that since mid-March, two large industrial solar power plants in California's remote, arid desert may have killed or injured more than 20 birds commonly associated with lakes or wetlands rather than the open desert surrounding the projects.

The two facilities in Riverside County are the 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight Solar Farm being built near Eagle Mountain by First Solar for owners NextEra Energy Resources, GE Energy Financial Services, and Sumitomo Corporation of America, and the 250-megawatt Genesis Solar Energy Project being built by NextEra about 25 miles west of Blythe. According to compliance documents builders of the two projects have filed with the California Energy Commission (CEC), as well as personal communication with solar developer press representatives, water birds accounted for about half of at least 37 reported incidents of bird injury or mortality at the two projects.

The water birds killed and injured range in species from yellow-headed blackbirds, which tend to congregate in the vegetation that surrounds ponds and streams, to the once-critically endangered brown pelican whose lifestyle involves fishing by diving into open water.

Other water birds found dead or injured by biologists at the two projects include eared, western, and pied-billed grebes, the duck species surf scoter, red breasted merganser and bufflehead, the dramatic-looking black-crowned night heron, double-crested cormorants, American coots, and the federally Endangered Yuma clapper rail.

http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/water-birds-turning-up-dead-at-solar-projects-in-desert.html

7 replies

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Water Birds Turning Up Dead at Solar Projects in the Desert (Original Post) XemaSab Jul 2013 OP

Did they do an environmental impact study before they Cleita Jul 2013 #1

If the birds think the panels are water Mojorabbit Jul 2013 #2

Easy to see how they made that mistake. n/t BlueToTheBone Jul 2013 #4

I had a pied billed grebe crash land into the blue transparent postulater Jul 2013 #5

These are not solar photovoltaic panels. This is a thermoelectric kestrel91316 Jul 2013 #6

Still color or perhaps a design could be incorporated so the birds will not think it is water. Mojorabbit Jul 2013 #7

Seems pretty obvious. wtmusic Jul 2013 #3

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

1. Did they do an environmental impact study before they

Reply to XemaSab (Original post)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 08:45 PM

Jul 2013

started? Doesn't seem like it. The desert ecosystem is a delicate one. Of course what can one expect of private for profit companies. Our utilities should be govt. run.

Mojorabbit

(16,020 posts)

2. If the birds think the panels are water

Reply to XemaSab (Original post)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 08:46 PM

Jul 2013

there ought to be an easy fix for this.

BlueToTheBone

(3,747 posts)

4. Easy to see how they made that mistake. n/t

Reply to Mojorabbit (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 09:06 PM

Jul 2013

postulater

(5,075 posts)

5. I had a pied billed grebe crash land into the blue transparent

Reply to Mojorabbit (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 09:23 PM

Jul 2013

panels above the entry way to my office.

Ended up on the sidewalk. Wildlife Rescue couldn't save it.

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)

6. These are not solar photovoltaic panels. This is a thermoelectric

Reply to Mojorabbit (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 10:34 PM

Jul 2013

generating facility with huge, curved reflectors that heat a liquid that then is used to heat water to boiling for steam turbines.

Their high reflectivity is essential to their function.

Mojorabbit

(16,020 posts)

7. Still color or perhaps a design could be incorporated so the birds will not think it is water.

Reply to kestrel91316 (Reply #6)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 10:51 PM

Jul 2013

It seems doable?

wtmusic

(39,166 posts)

3. Seems pretty obvious.

Reply to XemaSab (Original post)

Thu Jul 18, 2013, 08:58 PM

Jul 2013

They see what looks like water, and instead end up in blazing hot concentrated sunshine.

The myth that renewables have no ecological footprint is wearing thin. They have a huge land use footprint, and leave behind tons of useless crap when they go belly up.

Has First Solar set aside "decommissioning" expenses for removing a square mile of broken mirrors, pipes, and transmission lines from the desert landscape? (Didn't think so.)

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