California’s massive Ivanpah
solar power plant can produce enough electricity for 140,000 households
— but the environmental cost is nothing less than an avian slaughter.
The
plant’s 350,000 mirrors bounce sizzling sunlight to the tops of three
40-story boiler towers, heating steam for turbine electricity
generators. Temperatures near the towers can reach up to 1,000 degrees
Fahrenheit, heat certainly sufficient to fry a fowl.
“Workers at
the state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for
birds that fly through the plant’s concentrated sun rays — ‘streamers,’
for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair,” the
Associated Press reports this week.
That’s a common occurrence, the AP continues; federal
investigators saw a bird burn roughly every two minutes. Ivanpah owner
BrightSource estimates that “about a thousand” die each year, and one
environmental group says the plant kills up to 28,000 birds each year.As
the plant prepared to begin operations, workers found the winged
corpses of “a peregrine falcon, a grebe, two hawks, four nighthawks, and
a variety of warblers and sparrows,” the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year.
Those
statistics haven’t curbed the enthusiasm of the Obama administration
for the solar-power plant, which granted Ivanpah a $1.6 billion federal
loan guarantee. And when the solar farm hosted its grand opening earlier
this year, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz called
Ivanpah “a shining example of how America is becoming a world leader in
solar energy,” adding that “this project shows that building a
clean-energy economy creates jobs, curbs greenhouse gas emissions, and
fosters American innovation.”
Ivanpah isn’t the only green darling
with a lot of bird blood on its hands, either. The American Bird
Conservancy estimates wind turbines slay 440,000 birds each year, and
the an analyst writing in the Wildlife Society Bulletin says it’s closer to 573,000 — in addition to 888,000 bats.
Biologists for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have already expressed concerns about these mounting bird deaths. And in a hilariously illustrated report
on migratory bird mortality, the agency reported that “the greatest
threat to birds, and all wildlife, continues to be loss and/or
degradation of habitat due to human development and disturbance.”
The report does not specify whether high-speed turbine blades and 1,000-degree solar heat patches qualify as a “disturbance.”
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell lou I don't think that solar farms and wind turbines qualify as loss of habitat, surely the EPA would make sure of that before the things were built, but obviously they are a disturbance to getting there. 888,000 bats huh? Wonder how many bats are native to the US. I bet it's millions. Birds are somewhat smart creatures. give them time and they will learn to bypass these disturbances and everything will be alright, and if they don't everything will still be alright. Wonder how many years it will take to make bats extinct at this rate, don't much like them anyway. When I was a kid we used to try to knock they out of the sky with ..... you guessed it a bat. They are tricky little fellas. You know bats have built in radar. They can swoop at the last minute and miss a bat or I suspect even a turbine blade. And they see really good at night.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete
DeleteObama White House offering 30-year eagle-killing permits in plan to boost windmill industry
Dina Cappiello, Associated Press | December 6, 2013 2:10 PM ET
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Friday it will allow some companies to kill or injure bald and golden eagles for up to 30 years without penalty, an effort to spur development and investment in green energy while balancing its environmental consequences.
The change, requested by the wind energy industry, will provide legal protection for the lifespan of wind farms and other projects for which companies obtain a permit and make efforts to avoid killing the birds.
An investigation by The Associated Press earlier this year documented the illegal killing of eagles around wind farms, the Obama administration’s reluctance to prosecute such cases and its willingness to help keep the scope of the eagle deaths secret. The White House has championed wind power, a pollution-free energy intended to ease global warming, as a cornerstone of President Barack Obama’s energy plan.
WASHINGTON –- Duke Energy's renewables division will pay $1 million in fines and restitution for unlawfully killing golden eagles and other threatened birds with its wind turbines, the Department of Justice announced Friday in its first criminal enforcement of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Duke Energy Renewables Inc., a subsidiary of North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corp., pleaded guilty to violating the federal law that protects hundreds of bird species.
The company admitted killing 14 golden eagles and 149 other protected birds, including hawks, blackbirds, larks, wrens and sparrows, at two sites in Converse County, Wyo., from 2009 to 2013.
Don't worry, be happy.
Duke energy has paid well more then that for not maintaining their coal ash ponds here in NC. There is also legislation afoot to force them to clean up their mess at their expense. Louman do you know what is in coal ash? Hexavalent chromium. Do you know what this can do to the human body when it seeps into the water source? And Duke Energy just lost 28 million tons of coal ash into the Dan River recently. If you don't know then watch the movie Erin Brockovich. You will be elightened and see a very fine Julia Roberts looking her best, and yes Louman it is a true story.
DeleteBy the way, nice diversion.
DeleteNo diversion just furthering your comment about Duke and the price they paid for killing birds. They are going to pay a hell of a lot more to clean up their coal mess. They have 28 ponds in NC.
DeleteHow many chicks do birds have each year Louman. Do you know many kinds of birds of flight can have up to 13 offspring at one nest and they may roost and hatch eggs two to three times a year . Some even up to 4 times a year. I have doves and mocking birds here that nest 2 times a year. The doves produce 4 offspring a year and the mockingbirds 6 to 8. The baby doves take quite a while to learn to fly. The parents, and doves seem to be familial, hide the babies in our flower gardens and continue to bring food for about 10 after the babies leave the nest. Then we are treated to flying lessons etc throughout the late spring months. Then they do it all over throughout the summer and fall. Pretty neat stuff to watch. The Mockingbirds are much more secretive. Once the babies leave the nest we rarely see them together as a family. Every now and the we have a fatality when one of the birds falls from the nest and into the fish pond. Guess that's about like a bird frying it's ass at a solar power plant.
ReplyDeleteIvanpah isn’t the only green darling with a lot of bird blood on its hands, either. The American Bird Conservancy estimates wind turbines slay 440,000 birds each year, and the an analyst writing in the Wildlife Society Bulletin says it’s closer to 573,000 — in addition to 888,000 bats.
DeleteBiologists for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have already expressed concerns about these mounting bird deaths. And in a hilariously illustrated report on migratory bird mortality, the agency reported that “the greatest threat to birds, and all wildlife, continues to be loss and/or degradation of habitat due to human development and disturbance.”
The report does not specify whether high-speed turbine blades and 1,000-degree solar heat patches qualify as a “disturbance.”
The governments solution to the bird kill is obvious. Run the plant only at night.
ReplyDeleteExcellent solution.
DeleteBats and night raptors may be affected.
Maybe move the turbines to Mexico or China.
Certainly not off the Vin yards.
DeleteExcellent post! Proves what we all know, which is that all energy not derived from fossil fuels is bullshit and ultimately more harmful.
ReplyDeleteWhat it's all about is another plan without thought. It's what we have come to expect from government. (At least me)
DeleteBird hater!
DeleteAmerica is full of plans without thought. Probably the last time thought was given to an American plan was when the founders wrote the constitution. It's been a slow downhill ride since then. And lou it ain't gonna change anytime soon. Did you see where Ted Cruz and Cory Booker are big buddies now. And Cory and Rand have been cozying up. This is what happens. Well meaning people going to Washington and becoming corrupted by the city and it's easy money and power brokers. Our esteemed tea party rep Renee Ellmers is now even on the immigration band wagon.
DeleteThanks Rick. I feel better and all is well as it's not new and nothing is to be done.
DeleteBy the way, nice diversion.
No diversion just continuing your thought about American plans with no thought which equals all of them.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYour thoughts rand far and wide from the topic, often referred to as the straw man argument.
DeleteNo Lou most of my thoughts were about birds. I merely advanced two other issues you brought into the conversation Duke Power, which I am highly familiar with because most of their shenanigans happen IMBY and American plans without a thought which is about everything we have ever done since the constitution was signed, save for WW2. I think a lot of thought and planning went into that issue and that is why it was such a resounding Allied victory.
Delete