South Dublin Branch News

Windfarm to go ahead on the Arklow Bank 11th January 2002 The Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Frank Fahey, has granted a licence to the Eirtricity group for what will be the world's biggest offshore windfarm. The wind farm will be built on the shallow Arklow Bank five miles off the coast of Co. Wicklow and 40 miles south of Dublin. Costing 630 million euro, it will be capable of producing 520 megawatts of electricity. The farm will provide 10% of the Irish Republic's power requirements and lower significantly Ireland's current 86% dependence on imported energy. It will comprise a series of 200 turbines and run for a total of 24 miles. Construction is due to start later this year. Offshore Windfarms and Birds as reported in the Irish Times 18/01/02. Birdwatch Ireland says that while offshore wind farms have the potential to make a major contribution to renewable energy production, there is a shortage of information on the impact on birds, including collision with turbines, disturbance and loss of habitat. As offshore turbines may require lighting to meet safety regulations for navigation, this can increase the collision risk for night flying birds. Birdwatch is seeking legal advice over the lease granted by the Minister to Eirtricity. Birdwatch Ireland says it was not consulted about a clause in the lease which involves it in the construction of a bird observation post. In the lease, Eirtricity has agreed to give Birdwatch Ireland a "once-off payment" of 100,000 euro towards the construction and maintenance costs of an observation post, where ornithologists could monitor the effect of the wind turbines on bird life. Birdwatch Ireland did not object to the Eirtricity project but says it did propose during the consultation phase that studies of the bird life and marine mammals in the area be carried out in advance of disturbance in the area. It also proposed that only half of the project be approved, subject to further environmental studies. An environmental impact statement was conducted as part of the original planning application. Mr Stephen Newton, senior conservation officer with Birdwatch Ireland, said the organisation did propose the erection of a fixed observation post as part of an independent monitoring procedure. However, the lease does not allow for independent monitoring: it obliges the lessee to carry this out. "The first response to the platform suggestion was that there would be health and safety problems," Mr Newton says. "Paying Birdwatch Ireland half the costs of a platform without asking us in advance does seem very strange," he says. Installed wind generated capacity in the EU (end '01) Total installed capacity 17,000 MW Germany 8,754 MW Spain 3,337 MW Denmark 2,417 MW Ireland 125 MW Austria 94 MW France 78 MW Finland 39 MW Belgium 31 MW Luxembourg 15 MW A much abbreviated and edited excerpt from an interesting paper on bird strikes at albeit on-shore communication towers, but the findings are not limited to these: THE ABCs OF AVOIDING BIRD COLLISIONS AT COMMUNICATION TOWERS: THE NEXT STEPS. ALBERT M. MANVILLE, II, Ph.D. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Thrushes, Vireos, and Warblers are the species that seem the most vulnerable. These species generally migrate at night and appear to be most susceptible to collisions with lit towers on foggy, misty, low-cloud-ceiling nights during their migrations. Lights seem to be key. He assess the impacts of communication towers but the findings are not necessarily limited to radio, television, cellular, microwave towers, etc. Cats, pesticides, oil spills, towers, etc, account for hugh losses .. and the cumulative impacts of all these mortality factors is of grave concern. While, for example, it may be difficult to seriously reduce window strike and automobile mortalities, many feel we can take substantive steps to reverse trends in bird-tower collisions. It is incumbent upon us to do whatever possible to reverse these trends. What is it specifically about towers that seems to attract birds? Lighting, again, is critical. The retina of the bird's eye is far more sensitive to the red and infrared spectra than is the human eye. Although research in this area is lacking, birds may be attracted to red lights or become disoriented by having red lights disrupt their magnetic compasses. Color (i.e., white, white with ultraviolet, and specific colors such as red) and flash duration (i.e., strobed, slow flash, or steady) are two aspects of lighting that can change its attraction for birds (Beason 1999). A few reports indicate that white strobe lights, whose ultraviolet content is unknown, are less attractive to birds than steady or flashing red lights (Gauthreaux and Belser 1999). However, current thinking seems to indicate that light flash duration, rather than color, is far more critical. The longer the "off" phase between the blink or flash phases of the light pulses, the less likely birds are to be attracted to the lighting (Michael Avery, USDA, 1999 pers. comm.). For example, solid or blinking red lights seem to attract birds on foggy, misty nights far more often than do white strobes, which may flash once every 2-3 seconds (3 seconds currently the maximum allowable "off" duration). Again, the "off" phase of the light seems critical, the longer that phase the less likely the attraction during foggy, misty, rainy, overcast, low-cloud-ceiling nights. The taller the tower, the more likely it will kill birds. As tower height increases, so often does the number of guyed, supporting wires. Guy wires are critical in their effects on birds. The greater the number of guys, the more risk of bird strikes. Problems between raptors and wind generators in California have stemmed from the use of an open space-frame, girder construction which encourages the birds to perch on the tower If taller towers (more than 199 feet [61 m] AGL) requiring lighting to warn pilots must be constructed, the minimum amount of warning and obstruction lighting required by the FAA should be used. Where permissible by FAA and local zoning regulations, only white strobe lights should be used at night. These should be up-shielded to minimize disruption to local residents, and should be the minimum number, with minimum intensity and number of flashes per minute (i.e., the longest duration between flashes, currently three seconds) allowed by the FAA. The use of solid red or pulsating red warning lights should be avoided at night. Construction techniques which do not require the use of guy wires should be employed whenever possible. Manville, A. M. II. 2000. The ABCs of avoiding bird collisions at communication towers: the next steps. Proceedings of the Avian Interactions Workshop, December 2, 1999, Charleston, SC. Electric Power Research Institute (in press). http://www.towerkill.com/