Post-construction monitoring has been undertaken at wind farms in the UK for many years, and is now routinely requested for many multiple-turbine schemes.
Dr Peter Shepherd and Owain Gabb were invited by the Planning Inspectorate to give presentations on ecological issues arising from wind energy proposals to a two day conference of planning inspectors in Bristol on the 24th and 25th January 2013.
A recent high court judgment (August 2012) provides an interesting judgement on the thorny issue of the legality of killing of birds and bats at wind farm sites. This is a subject that we have debated at a number of wind farm public inquiries.
BSG Ecology is exhibiting at Stand 67 of Renewable UK, Glasgow between 30th October and 1st November 2012. The conference is at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), Glasgow and will address policy, development and technical aspects of UK onshore and offshore wind energy, …
In May 2012 Ruth Walker, an Ecologist from our Derbyshire office in Hathersage, travelled to Delaware Bay in the United States to make an international contribution to an important conservation initiative for red knot and other waders. Ruth, who specialises in ornithology for BSG, is …
The latest in a series of papers looking at impacts of wind farms on upland waders was recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Principal Ecologist Owain Gabb considers what this new paper is likely to mean for the industry going forward.
Internationally designated sites such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Ramsar Sites can have ramifications for development and other activities a long way beyond their immediate boundaries. Where these sites might be affected, impact assessment and decision making is sometimes highly precautionary, meaning that activities many miles removed from these sites can and do come under the closest scrutiny.
BSG was once again present at our stand at the Renewables UK conference this year in Manchester. Dr Peter Shepherd presented a paper to the conference session on ecological evidence titled “A Review of Ecological Issues at Wind Farm Public Inquiry Decisions”. The paper arose out of research Peter undertook in support of appearances over the last few years as an expert witness for appellants at public inquiries into wind farm applications.
We have recently extensively updated our Renewables website with new information, including reviews of wind farm monitoring papers, our initial thoughts with regard to the Bat Conservation Trust survey guidance and information on the services we offer to the renewables industry.
The first European conference about onshore wind energy and wildlife impacts took place in Trondheim, Norway, earlier this year. The Conference on Wind Energy and Wildlife Impacts (CCW 2011) brought together experts from all over the world to share experiences on how wind power affects wildlife.
