Wind energy has an important role to play in developing clean energy sources and phasing out fossil fuels, although wind turbines take nearly a decade to become profitable. In 2023, wind energy accounted for 10.2% of all electricity generated in the United States, the largest share of all renewable energy. However, wind turbines have a bad reputation, and not just from anti-green energy people. They have a reputation for killing birds, which, while often exaggerated, is a legitimate concern that might actually have a simple solution: paint.
For several years, researchers have been studying whether painting one of the turbine blades black could reduce the number of bird deaths. The paint is intended to create a contrast that makes the turbines more visible when they spin quickly. In a study published in Ecology and Evolution in 2020, Norwegian researchers found that the annual number of bird deaths decreased by more than 70% after painting the blades, an incredibly promising result, albeit based on a small sample of just four painted and four unpainted turbines as a control group.
Energy company PacifiCorp is conducting a larger study at its Glenrock, Wyoming, wind farm that involves painting individual blades on 36 different turbines. This effort involves several government agencies, NGOs and Oregon State University researchers who hope to replicate the results of the Norwegian study while ensuring there are no unintended harmful consequences. Although it is too early to begin mass painting wind turbines, this could be a major breakthrough that addresses an important problem with wind energy development.
Clean energy can have unintended consequences
Clean energy is absolutely worth pursuing because of its role in combating climate change, and new innovations like China’s flying wind turbine have the potential to harness enormous amounts of energy. However, these noble projects can have unexpected effects on the surrounding ecosystem. Some are positive, such as a solar panel farm in Tibet that opened up a new opportunity for local residents, while others are not.
Birds are particularly vulnerable to clean energy technologies. Just as they are unable to see spinning turbine blades, research shows that birds cannot tell the difference between solar farms and lakes, often leading to deadly consequences. While it’s true that wind turbines account for only a small portion of total bird deaths, some of the endangered species are already protected under federal law. This includes the golden eagle and most migratory birds.
Even if PacifiCorp’s study yields positive results, black paint would not be easy to implement. One of the researchers involved in the Norwegian study told Audubon that the work was done by “a specialized team of painters who could rappel down the turbine blades and paint them in mid-flight,” which is why this project was so small. Still, it’s more feasible and reasonable than redesigning and replacing existing turbines, and simply including black paint on the new ones would completely eliminate this challenge. Regardless, the research into black turbine blades and their impact on birds is a great example of how we can improve green energy projects so that they help save the planet without disrupting the local environment.
