Texas State University researchers, in partnership with Bat Conservation International (BCI), have completed a trial of an ultrasonic acoustic Bat Deterrent System that reduced overall bat fatalities at the Los Vientos Wind Energy Facility in Starr County by 54 percent.
The Bat Deterrent System, from NRG Systems, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of smart technologies for a range of wind, solar and meteorological applications, was installed on 16 of the facility’s 255 turbines. Test results indicate that NRG Systems’ technology is an effective tool for reducing mortality of certain species of bats caused by wind turbines.
“Our results from a robust, two-year study at an operational wind energy facility in Texas indicate NRG’s acoustic deterrents significantly reduce Brazilian free-tailed bat and hoary bat fatalities,” said Sara Weaver, a doctoral candidate at Texas State and biology lecturer at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, who led the Los Vientos study. “Based on these results, the technology is a promising tool for reducing bat fatalities at wind turbines.”
