Renewable Energy: Wind

To meet the Governor’s Renewable Portfolio Standard by the year 2010 California needs to obtain 20 percent of its energy from renewable resources or “green energy."  Wind energy has been identified as one of several green energy sources available to meet that need.  As a result, almost two-dozen new wind energy facilities have been proposed for a variety of locations throughout the state.

Like most other types of energy production, wind energy has generated a variety of issues.  Environmental issues associated with wind energy development and production include direct and indirect environmental impacts like habitat fragmentation, habitat loss and mitigation, as well as legal issues; the foremost being the incidental take of sensitive, rare, and state and federally listed bird and bat species. 

DFG and the California Energy Commission (CEC) formulated the California Guidelines for Reducing Impacts to Birds and Bats from Wind Energy Development (PDF) (Guidelines) to begin addressing some of the issues and impacts related to birds and bats.  DFG uses the voluntary Guidelines when working with wind-energy project proponents and lead agencies on proposed projects. The recommendations can be applied statewide, not just to a particular region or county, and will need to be integrated with regional information and studies.  The Guidelines will be updated as new research findings and feedback indicates that revisions are needed.

Recommendations from the Guidelines include:

• Methods to assess bird and bat activity at proposed sites
• Developing pre-permitting study designs
• Pre- and post-construction monitoring plans
• Impact avoidance and minimization
• Mitigation measures

On March 4, 2008, DFG hosted the first in a series of wind energy workshops.  This workshop was an introduction to wind energy production and an overview of the Guidelines.  Presenters included several DFG staffers, a National Renewable Energy Lab representative, a representative from a wind energy research and development leader, and a CEC consultant -- see slide presentations, questions and answers, and presenter biographies.    

DFG is currently organizing workshops to tackle the issues of impact mitigation and incidental take.  The mitigation workshop is slated for sometime in early June 2008.