Status and Findings of Developing Technologies for Bat Detection and Deterrence at Wind Facilities

Mass. Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

hoary bat with flower

These webinars were hosted by the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC).

These webinars provide updates and findings on projects presented on an NWCC webinar in December 2015 (view the recording).

The research presented in these webinars is supported by a funding opportunity (Bat Impact Minimization Technologies and Field Testing Opportunities) from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Read more about the projects in the award announcement.


Webinar 1: Low TRL (technology readiness level) projects

Monday, March 12

Texturizing Wind Turbine Towers to Reduce Bat Mortality

  • Presenter: Dr. Amanda Hale, Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Program, Texas Christian University
  • Presenter: Dr. Victoria Bennett, Assistant Professor, Director of Graduate Programs, Texas Christian University

Rotor-mounted, Ultrasonic Bat Impact Mitigation System

  • Presenter: David Cooper, Sr. Electrical Systems Engineer, Frontier Wind

A Biomimetic Ultrasonic Whistle for Use as a Bat Deterrent on Wind Turbines

  • Presenter: Dr. Paul Sievert, Research Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Webinar 2: High TRL projects

Wednesday, March 14

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrents in Reducing Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities

  • Presenter: Dr. Cris Hein, Wind Energy Program Director, Bat Conservation International

Ultrasonic Bat Deterrent Technology

  • Presenter: Dr. Kevin Kinzie, Chief Engineer, Aerodynamics and Acoustics, GE Renewables
  • Presenter: Brad Romano, Ecological Services Director, Shoener Environmental, Inc.

The National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC), formed in 1994 and retired in 2020, was initiated and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL); AWWI facilitated the NWCC from 2012 until 2020. Learn more.
Photo Credit: Hoary Bat, Adam Searcy