Articles about Environmental Impacts and Siting

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Below are stories about environmental impacts and siting featured by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office.

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January 15, 2021
The Energy Department supports development of methodologies and evaluation of offshore wind impacts on wildlife in U.S. Atlantic waters.
Energy Department and Federal Partners Announce up to $14.5 Million for Offshore Wind Environmental Research
Environmental research supports increasing understanding of offshore wind and evaluating impacts on wildlife in U.S. Atlantic waters.
January 5, 2021
Daytime photo of a wind farm with a man standing in the foreground and a hawk perched on this hand.
Happy New Year!
As we usher in 2021, we’d like to share some of 2020's top wind energy R&D achievements.
December 18, 2020
Clouds and sunset outline wind turbines on the horizon.
Multi-Year Program Plan for Wind Energy Research Released
The plan outlines the Office’s research priorities and plans through the year 2025.
December 14, 2020
Photo of power lines, solar panels, a factory smokestack, and a wind turbine.
EERE Announces FY 2021 Phase I Release 2 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Funding Opport...
Eligible small business can apply to receive up to $200,000 to test their innovative ideas over 12 months.
November 30, 2020
A boat sails near the Siemens' 3.6 MW Offshore Wind Turbine
U.S. Departments of the Interior and Energy Launch New Collaboration for Improved Safety and Environmental Stewardship in Offshore Energy...
DOI Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and DOE have issued a FOA for up to $40 million for the OESI 2.0 to support various improvements.
October 13, 2020
Illustration of a golden eagle flying amid wind turbines.
Exploring Eagle Hearing and Vision Capabilities To Reduce Risk at Wind Farms
University researchers examine eagle physiology to inform and improve eagle deterrents.
October 13, 2020
ThermalTracker-3D tracks an unmanned aerial system (visible top, center) during testing at the NREL Flatirons Campus.
ThermalTracker-3D Takes Flight
Testing validates system accuracy, provides comprehensive picture of bird and bat activity.
September 11, 2020
success story wind bat one
From Concept to Commercialization – Bat Deterrent for Wind Energy Goes Global
For the past two decades, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office has worked on ways to protect bats at wind farms.
June 4, 2020
offshore wind turbines
DOE Seeks Input on Offshore Wind Environmental Research and Related Technology Needs
WETO is seeking input on high-priority environmental research needs regarding impact assessment, model validation, and monitoring and mitigation.
June 1, 2020
New flight tracking system capable of measuring how various bat species behave in the presence of ultrasonic acoustic deterrents.
Which Bats Steer Clear of Wind Turbine Deterrents—and When?
Flight-path monitoring aims to determine the effectiveness of ultrasonic acoustic deterrents.
April 29, 2020
offshore turbines at sea.
Offshore Wind Turbine Radar Interference Mitigation Webinar Series
Series will discuss offshore wind turbine radar interference mitigation strategies and research needs for offshore wind development.
December 19, 2019
grand challenge wind December
Addressing Wind Energy Innovation Challenges
Addressing Wind Energy Innovation Challenges
September 30, 2019
robot-deployed autonomous inspection system against the sun and a blue sky.
Happy New (Fiscal) Year!
As we embark on a new fiscal year, we’d like to share some of our key accomplishments from Fiscal Year 2019.
August 12, 2019
How Much Power is 1 Gigawatt?
How Much Power is 1 Gigawatt?
A date most movie buffs know by heart, October 21, 2015, is the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel in “Back to the Future Part II.”
May 20, 2019
Brown bat with its wings spread, flying.
Mammal Mia! It’s Bat Tags Again
Small, light, wide-range tags more effectively track behavior and flight patterns, safeguarding bats from potential encounters with wind turbines.
April 16, 2019
Falcon on a man with wind turbines in the background.
Request for Proposals (RFPs) to Address Wind-Wildlife Operational Challenges
The subsequent contract will support emerging technologies that detect and deter bird and bat encounters with wind energy facilities.
March 13, 2019
research funded bat deterrent technologies to minimize the need for curtailment to reduce environmental impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy
DOE Awards $6.8 Million in Wind Energy Research Projects
DOE selected ten projects totaling $6.8 million that will reduce the impacts of land-based and offshore wind energy on bats and other wildlife.
October 12, 2018
Photo of a table set up on a beach with two cameras on it.
Stereo Vision Improves "Fly-By" Data for Offshore Wind Power
Researchers from PNNL have come up with a novel way to integrate that stereo vision feature into software.
July 18, 2018
Close-up photo of a bat in flight.
DOE Releases Funding Announcement to Support Advanced Wind R&D to Reduce Costs and Environmental Impacts
DOE has released a Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled “Advanced Wind R&D to Reduce Costs and Environmental Impacts.”
May 8, 2018
A hawk sitting on a branch.
Pooling Our Knowledge and Protecting Wildlife with Adaptive Management
Wind development projects continue to improve their practices through lessons learned and better understanding the outcome of management decisions.
May 8, 2018
Farm with a wind turbine.
Wind Project Neighbor Attitudes Mostly Positive, National Survey Reveals
A study led by LBNL provides unprecedented insight into the attitudes of Americans who live near U.S. wind turbines.
April 19, 2018
Screenshot from the USWTDB.
U.S. Department of Energy and Geological Survey Release Online Public Dataset and Viewer of U.S. Wind Turbine Locations and Characteristics
The USGS and DOE released the United States Wind Turbine Database and Viewer to access this new public dataset.
October 17, 2017
An eagle flies near turbines at the National Wind Technology Center
ThermalTracker: The Secret Lives of Bats and Birds Revealed
When planning offshore wind projects, collecting data on the abundance of birds and bats informs project siting.
March 14, 2017
Milestones on the Road to the Wind Vision
Milestones on the Road to the Wind Vision

The Department of Energy’s Wind Vision report assesses the potential economic and social benefits of a study scenario where U.S. wind power...

November 30, 2016
Spirit, a 20-year-old bald eagle, flies at the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder, Colorado. | <em>Photo by Lee Jay Fingersh/NREL</em>
3 Ways Energy Department Research Will Help Eagles Coexist with Wind Energy Deployment

Building energy infrastructure that keeps wildlife safe is a key concern at the U.S. Department of Energy, which is why we have funded six teams to...