Wind turbines can be improved with ordinary paint: what benefits will it bring?

Although wind turbines are considered an environmentally friendly source of energy, they also cause damage to nature, which can be easily reduced.

An experiment at the Smela wind farm in Norway showed that painting the blades in a contrasting color significantly reduces mortality among wild birds due to collisions with wind turbines. The Diary 24 portal writes about this.

As part of the experiment, two-thirds of one turbine blade was painted black. As a result, there was a 70% reduction in mortality among all bird species in the area of ​​the four painted turbines, compared to the control unpainted turbines.

According to the portal, one of the goals of the experiment was to protect the endangered white-tailed eagle. No deaths of these birds were recorded in the area of ​​the painted blades.

Similar tests are being conducted in Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands, and South Africa. For example, in the South African version, four turbines will be installed at the Umoya Energy wind farm, each blade of which will be painted with two wide red stripes, and 16 turbines around them will act as controls for the study. The results will be published in a few years.

Earlier in 2020, BirdLife South Africa published a study on bird mortality from turbines, which found that approximately 800 birds died at 20 wind farms across the country between 2014 and 2018. Many of the birds killed or injured included protected species such as black harriers and Cape vultures.

“Most of the measures available to minimise collisions with turbines are expensive and rarely fully effective. Our long-term experience of monitoring the impact of wind farms on birds shows that no single measure can completely eliminate fatalities in every situation,” — the report says.

The publication emphasized that applying patterns or stripes to wind turbine blades — is a relatively small precautionary measure, but it benefits bird populations in areas around wind farms.