Battling Bat Deaths

The University of Calgary recently released a study showing how to reduce bat deaths caused by wind turbines by up to 60 percent-without sacrificing energy. The research, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, suggests slowing turbine blades during low-wind cycles to decrease bat mortality. Bats frequently die during their autumn migration from Canada and the northern US to the southern US and Mexico due to wind turbines. Unlike birds, bats’ respiratory systems cannot handle the sudden atmospheric changes in pressure caused by the machines.