Influence of Turbine Size Parameters on Collision-Based Bird and Bat Mortality

© 2008 Deon Reynolds

Wind turbine size has increased as turbines have become increasingly energy productive. How bird and bat mortality is affected by turbine size, however, is not fully understood. This study investigated the influence of turbine size parameters on fatality rates and fall distances of three representative species: hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), and red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Through the development of a Bayesian hierarchical model, this study demonstrated that the turbine size covariates of ground clearance, rotor diameter, and power rating have varying effects on fatality rates and fall distributions among the three representative species.

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Research-Summary_REWRF-BE-01-Turbine-Size_Bird-Bat-Fatality

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