Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Potential for spatial coexistence of a transboundary migratory species and wind energy development

July 24, 2024

Global expansion in wind energy development is a notable achievement of the international community’s effort to reduce carbon emissions during energy production. However, the increasing number of wind turbines have unintended consequences for migratory birds and bats. Wind turbine curtailment and other mitigation strategies can reduce fatalities, but improved spatial and temporal data are needed to identify the most effective way for wind energy development and volant migratory species to coexist. Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) account for a large proportion of known bat fatalities at wind facilities in the southwestern US. We examined the geographic concordance between existing wind energy generation facilities, areas of high wind potential amenable for future deployment of wind facilities, and seasonally suitable habitat for these bats. We used ecological niche modeling to determine species distribution during each of 4 seasons. We used a multi-criteria GIS-based approach to produce a wind turbine siting suitability map. We identified seasonal locations with highest and lowest potential for the species’ probability of occurrence, providing a potential explanation for the higher observed fatalities during fall migration. Thirty percent of 33,606 wind turbines within the southwestern US occurred in highly suitable areas for Mexican free-tailed bats, primarily in west Texas. There is also broad spatial overlap between areas of high wind potential and areas of suitable habitat for Mexican free-tailed bats. Because of this high degree of overlap, our results indicate that post-construction strategies, such as curtailing the timing of operations and deterrents, would be more effective for bat conservation than strategic siting of new wind energy installations.

Publication Year 2024
Title Potential for spatial coexistence of a transboundary migratory species and wind energy development
DOI 10.1038/s41598-024-66490-3
Authors Ta-Ken Huang, Xiao Feng, Jonathan J. Derbridge, Kaitlin Libby, James E. Diffendorfer, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Gary McCracken, Rodrigo Medellin, Laura Lopez-Hoffman
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Scientific Reports
Index ID 70261500
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Was this page helpful?