Birds Getting Killed By Solar Panels

One leading theory suggests birds mistake the glare from solar panels for the surface of a lake and swoop in for a landing with deadly results.

Birds getting killed by solar panels.

If they do they can basically get cooked by the high energy rays. For example some solar developers in minnesota and other states are growing native plant species around solar panels to benefit birds and other pollinators. Meanwhile wind turbines and solar panels are going up at a record pace and scientists are reporting a full blown crisis in the disappearance of 29 percent of north american birds. For each power source wind solar oil and gas nuclear and coal the data on bird deaths is gathered from.

One of their main complaints. In the western united states these large scale installations are often planned for desert areas that receive a lot of sunlight. Bird problems and solutions. But that hypothesis is from a human perspective.

Birds can be killed when they smash into the facility s solar panels the investigation concluded. In 2015 ivanpah killed about seven birds per gigawatt. Workers at a 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 from birds that ignite. The estimate by biologists is that the ivanpah solar plant kills about 3 500 birds per year this way.

With a concentraing solar plant birds can be harmed when they fly too close to the path of the reflected solar energy. News and world report has compiled data on which energy industries are responsible for the most bird deaths every year. The vast field of solar panels which would generate enough electricity to power 230 000 average california homes according to its developer would kill birds. Bird barrier offers a solar panel protection kit to prevent birds from getting under the panels.