Solar energy project kills over 3,500 birds in California

A solar energy project has killed as many as 3,500 birds in California, USA, a report said, Pravda.Ru reports.

The Ivanpah project, a 377-megawatt solar energy array in San Bernardino County, California, has killed an estimated 3,504 birds during the first year of operation, Pravda.Ru reports. 

The array is a collection of mirrors that direct sunlight to three tall towers, which create steam to run a turbine.

According to the paper, researchers found up to 83 different bird species that had been killed in the area, Pravda.Ru says. However, the report says that the deaths are a "minimal proportion of local, regional or national populations."

"We were pleased that the report said our impact is minimal but the entire process, including this report, is about knowing your impact so you can reduce it further," an official with NRG Energy, which operates the project, told the Sun.
  Source: Pravda.Ru
27/4/15
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• Report: Ivanpah solar project kills 3,500 birds

More than 3,500 birds died during the 377-megawatt Ivanpah solar project’s first year of operation, a new report estimates.
Bird deaths were known at the “power tower” project, which is located in San Bernardino County off Interstate 15 just southwest of the Nevada border. But how many was unclear. Even at the 3,504 estimate, the report considers the deaths a “minimal proportion of local, regional, or national populations” of birds.
Ivanpah, the world’s largest concentrated solar project, uses thousands of mirrors that direct sunlight at boilers on top of three 459-foot tall towers, heating a liquid to create steam used to run a turbine. Carlsbad-based NRG Energy operates the Ivanpah project, which it co-owns with Google and Oakland-based BrightSource Energy.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously called Ivanpah — the world’s largest concentrated solar project — a “mega-trap” for birds and insects, although the exact number of deaths has been a subject of fiery debate.
Those concerns have generated fierce opposition to a tower project proposed for the Riverside East Solar Zone east of the Coachella Valley. The Palen project would be built on a major migratory bird route — the Pacific Flyway — and would be visible from the southeastern part of Joshua Tree National Park.
“Our focus is reducing our environmental impact as much as possible. An integral part of that is monitoring,” said David B. Knox, a senior director for NRG. “We also are very transparent in our operations and this report is part of that transparency.”
“We were pleased that the report said our impact is minimal but the entire process, including this report, is about knowing your impact so you can reduce it further. We are working to reduce this impact.”
Knox pointed out a few measures that are being considered, including sonic and smell deterrence; mirror repositioning; changing to LED lights; and turning lights off at night.
Based on the actual number of dead birds found on parts of the Ivanpah solar site, Fresno-based H.T. Harvey & Associates in its report estimated the annual bird death total at 3,504 — 1,492 from known causes and 2,012 from unknown causes. The report also suggested that 83 different species of birds were found at the time.........desertsun.com
23/4/15