Natural Power has launched a new dedicated bat mitigation service for wind farms, which aims to save lives and minimise the impact on energy yield.
The company’s 15 in-house bat experts will collaborate with the wind technical team to assess the effect of bat mitigation measures on wind energy yield.
This will involve putting a value on curtailment methods in place, and planning the most effective strategies for maintaining and maximising turbine uptime.
Natural Power director of ecology and hydrology Chris Pendlebury said: “Our ability to collaborate with our own in-house wind technical team is a huge advantage to us as ecologists.
“Not only do we have the ability to reduce bat fatalities through deploying effective curtailment measures, but we can continue to maximise energy output for our clients’ assets.
“This is a unique proposition, and enables us to add real value to our full-service offering at planning, construction and operational stages on wind farms here in the UK, and internationally across Europe and North America, where there are much greater bat populations.”
Natural Power said it is expected that the Bat Conservation Trust will launch new, more stringent, guidance in relation to bats and wind farms in May.
Image: Wikimedia Commons/USFWS/Ann Froschauer
Natural Power flashes bat signal
Dedicated mitigation service aims to minimise impact on energy yields
By EBS