SA Aims to Protect Birds from Wind Turbine Dangers

The Overberg mountains formed a distant backdrop as bundled-up monitors scanned the skies near a giant wind turbine. A small, dark silhouette suddenly appeared. “Stop turbine 11, please. Cape vulture,” one monitor said into a walkie-talkie. The immediate reply confirmed the action: “Stopping turbine 11.” Within a minute, the 150-meter blades ground to a halt.

This swift intervention is part of a critical conservation effort. BirdLife South Africa estimates that each wind turbine kills an average of 4.25 birds annually, with blades reaching speeds of 280 kilometers per hour. Across the nation’s 1,400 turbines, this translates to roughly 6,000 bird deaths each year, ten percent of which are endangered species.

A Lifeline for Endangered Birds

To combat this, the Excelsior Wind Farm implemented a Shutdown on Demand Protocol. This system prioritizes six vulnerable species, including the Cape vulture and the critically endangered black harrier. When monitors spot one of these birds, they radio the control room to shut down the specific turbine.

Clarissa Mars, the conservationist overseeing the program, explained the process takes about 43 seconds. The results have been significant. “There were less than eight fatalities for the site in approximately five years,” Mars noted, expressing relief that no birds were killed this year. Adopted globally and introduced at Excelsior in 2020, the protocol’s impact on energy output is minimal. Site manager Jacques Redelinghuys confirmed revenue loss was below 0.5 percent, which is often recouped on high-wind days.

As detailed in the complete version, there are several key factors to consider.

The Ongoing Threat to the Black Harrier

While effective for larger birds like the Cape vulture, the protocol is less successful for the black harrier. This smaller, critically endangered bird is harder for monitors to spot. With only about 1,300 individuals left, the loss of even a few is devastating. The Overberg region is a vital breeding ground, but 95 percent of its natural habitat has been lost to agriculture, forcing the birds to travel farther and increasing collision risks.

University of Cape Town professor Rob Simmons issued a grave warning. “If we were to kill an extra three to five adult black harriers per year through wind farms, the population will go extinct within 75 to 100 years,” he stated. He identified this as a potential case where wind farms could directly contribute to a species’ extinction.

Innovative Solutions on the Horizon

Confronting this “green-green dilemma,” researchers are testing other solutions. One promising method involves painting turbine blades. Professor Simmons explained that birds do not see black and white contrasts well, making a white blade against a cloudy sky nearly invisible to them. An experiment where blades were painted with bold red stripes resulted in an 87 percent drop in bird mortality over two years.

The challenge remains to balance urgent climate action with biodiversity conservation. “We cannot continue burning fossil fuels,” Simmons affirmed. “Some species, like the black harrier, will not survive climate change. But we also cannot sacrifice numerous birds on the altar of renewable energy.” The search for harmony between green energy and wildlife preservation continues.