Library filed under Impact on Bats from UK
Bats are being put in danger by the increasing number of wind turbines in Lincolnshire, it has been claimed. Some conservationists have said turbines in the US and Europe have had a serious impact on bat populations. The Bat Conservation Trust has called for talks with the renewable energy industry for more research ahead of more wind farms being built. But the local Green Party dismissed the idea saying there was no evidence impact was significant.
RADAR might help to reduce the number of bats being killed by wind turbines, according to new research. Bats are repelled by electro-magnetic radiation emitted from radar installations, scientists at Aberdeen University have found. They believe fitting radar systems to wind turbines might prevent the bats from flying too close to their rotors. The team studied the behaviour of bats at various distances from ten radar installations across Scotland last summer. They found that bats did not forage in areas where high levels of radiation were present.
A HOTEL owner is being driven batty by planning delays for a wind turbine that could bring green power to his business. Stuart McGlynn, who owns the Norwood Hotel, Whalley Road, Accrington, hopes to place a small turbine on the side of his detached house, behind the hotel. But the possibility that a bat population may be roosting nearby has put a temporary halt to the plans until a wildlife survey is carried out.
THE comprehensive landscape reasons for planners recommending the IW Council turn down the controversial Wellow wind farm have been unveiled to the public, ahead of Monday’s planning decision on the scheme. Consultants acting for the IW Council concluded the six turbines, two of which are nearly 110 metres tall, would have significant adverse effects on the protected landscape, nearby homes and rights of way, and insufficient consideration had been given by applicant Your Energy to mitigating adverse effects on the countryside. Insufficient information was provided on the impact of the turbines on bats.
The Service favors: --conservation of wildlife in the public trust; --development of renewable energy that is bird and bat friendly; and --use of informed decisions based on adequate environmental assessment and sound science.