# Onshore wind: Impact on the biosphere

Birds, bats and one of the lowest death tolls in energy

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/biosphere/

What this tab covers Effects on human, animal, plant, fungal and microbial life and on whole ecosystems: in the short term (construction and early years), medium term (operating life) and long term (decommissioning and legacy).

Onshore wind has one of the lowest death rates per unit of electricity. Its main ecological effects are bird and bat collisions, which can be reduced substantially by siting and by stopping turbines at low wind speeds.
 Deaths per TWh (accidents, including supply chain) 0.04^[13](https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy) Bird deaths per year at US monopole turbines 140,000 to 328,000 (mean 234,000)^[11](https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/35192) Life-cycle emissions, g CO2e/kWh 11 (median; range 7-56)^[4](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf#page=7) Reduction in bat deaths from raising cut-in wind speed 44% to 93%, for 1% or less of annual output^[12](https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/10173)

#### Effects over time

| Life affected | Short term | Medium term | Long term |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Humans**^[13](https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy) | Construction accidents and traffic; noise and visual change for neighbours. | Low occupational risk (about 0.04 deaths per TWh, including falls and transport accidents); noise and shadow flicker complaints near homes; lease income for landowners. | Blade disposal is a waste problem because composites are hard to recycle; sites can be repowered or restored. |
| **Animals**^[11](https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/35192)^[12](https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/10173) | Disturbance during construction. | Bird collisions: an estimated 140,000 to 328,000 birds (mean 234,000) a year at US monopole turbines. Bats are killed mainly on nights of low wind, when turbines spin but generate little. | Population-level effects are a concern for slow-breeding species such as raptors and migratory bats. |
| **Plants**^[10](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270155) | Vegetation cleared for roads, pads and foundations. | Direct footprint is small (median 130 ha per TWh per year); land between turbines usually stays as farmland or habitat. | Pads and roads can be restored after decommissioning. |
| **Fungi and soil life**^[10](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270155) | Soil compaction and excavation at foundations and roads. | Little evidence of effect beyond the footprint. | Concrete foundations are often left in the ground. |
| **Ecosystems**^[4](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf#page=7) | Fragmentation from new access roads in forests and uplands. | Low life-cycle emissions (median 11 g CO2e/kWh) reduce climate pressure when wind displaces fossil power. | Net benefit depends on avoiding sensitive habitats such as peat bogs and migration corridors. |

#### How the effects are reduced

The most effective measure is siting: avoiding migration routes, raptor nesting areas and peat. Raising the wind speed at which turbines start turning on high-risk nights cut bat deaths by 44-93% for an energy loss of no more than 1% a year. Other measures include radar or camera systems that stop turbines when birds approach, setbacks from homes to limit noise and flicker, and blade recycling schemes.

#### Sources

1. [Climate Change 2014: Mitigation, Annex III Technology-specific cost and performance parameters, Table A.III.2 (life-cycle emissions, min/median/max)](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_annex-iii.pdf#page=7) IPCC AR5 Working Group III, 2014
2. [Land-use intensity of electricity production and tomorrow's energy landscape (Lovering, Swain, Blomqvist and Hernandez, PLOS ONE 17(7): e0270155)](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270155) PLOS ONE, 2022
3. [Estimates of bird collision mortality at wind facilities in the contiguous United States (Loss, Will and Marra, Biological Conservation 168)](https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/35192) Smithsonian Research Online, 2013
4. [Altering turbine speed reduces bat mortality at wind-energy facilities (Arnett et al., Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9(4))](https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/10173) Digital Commons, University of South Florida, 2011
5. [What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy?](https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy) Our World in Data, 2024

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/resources/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_onshore_wind/links/index.md)