RFI seeks input on the status and research needs related to bat deterrent technologies, which will help inform a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement aimed at advancing bat deterrent technology solutions.
Wind Energy Technologies Office
August 23, 2022
minute read time
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) has issued a Request for Information seeking input on the status and research needs related to bat deterrent technologies, which will help inform a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement aimed at advancing bat deterrent technology solutions.
Potential impacts on bats are a significant environmental concern for land-based wind energy deployment and operation. Bat species of concern collectively have ranges that cover the entire continental United States, and if listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, could impede the development or operation of wind farms. In an effort to address this concern, DOE and wind energy stakeholders have explored options to minimize bat fatalities around wind turbines.
Curtailment (preventing turbines from operating below a given wind speed) is the primary way to address potential bat fatalities. While promising, this option can be costly (at times prohibitively so), and reduces the energy generation and reliability of wind energy facilities – particularly in summer months when electricity demand is high.
Alternatively, bat deterrents, in particular technologies that use ultrasound to deter bats from the rotor swept area, have shown promise in reducing bat activity around turbines. While ultrasonic deterrent technologies are currently available, results from published field studies indicate mixed results and industry adoption of these technologies is still limited. Improving the performance and acceptance of bat deterrent technologies is crucial to provide wind developers and operators with the most appropriate bat impact mitigation tools for their projects.
This RFI seeks input related to 1) bat behavior research needed to inform advanced deterrent development, 2) field research need for validation and acceptance of deterrent technologies, and 3) deterrent hardware research needs to ensure seamless deterrent integration with wind turbines, and long term reliability and effectiveness.
For more information, check out the full RFI. Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to [email protected] with the subject line "DOE Bat RFI Response" no later than September 16, 2022.