Solar Power Plant Ivanpah a 'Mega-Trap' for Birds, Says Gov't Study
| Thursday, Apr. 17, 2014 | ProCon.org |  Email |  Print |  Cite | MORE HEADLINES |
A new report from the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory has focused attention on bird deaths at three solar power plants in Southern California, including the recently launched Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, touted as the world's largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant.
The report found that Ivanpah "may act as a 'mega-trap,' attracting insects which in turn attract insect-eating birds, which are incapacitated by solar flux injury, thus attracting predators and creating an entire food chain vulnerable to injury and death." Ivanpah collects solar energy using nearly 350,000 mirrors, each the size of a garage door. The mirrors direct sunlight toward water towers, where the resulting heat boils the water and generates electricity. "Solar flux" is the highly concentrated heat surrounding the water boilers, and reaches temperatures of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Birds having their feathers severely singed by solar flux can suffer a "catastrophic loss of flying ability, leading to death by impact with the ground or other objects." Less severe singeing also hampers birds' flying capability, "reducing ability to forage and evade predators, leaving to starvation or predation." In addition to solar flux injuries occurring at Ivanpah, the other primary cause of bird death at the three plants was impact trauma caused by collisions with various "smooth reflective panels" such as mirrors and photovoltaic cells. The other two plants surveyed by the authors were the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm (AKA First Solar) and the Genesis Solar Energy Project. 233 bird carcasses were examined in total, representing 71 species ranging in size from hummingbirds to pelicans. The authors wrote that they "currently have a very incomplete knowledge of the scope of avian mortality at these solar facilities," and recommended video cameras be installed onsite to record a fuller account of the bird deaths taking place. Ivanpah employees use the term "streamers" to refer to the streams of smoke emanating from objects passing through areas of solar flux. "Streamers" can be observed at an average of one every two minutes, and while some are likely to be from "loose debris" or insects, some "could only be explained by a larger flammable biomass such as a bird... igniting." In addition to dead birds, "numerous" monarch butterfly carcasses were found at Ivanpah. The report states that monarch populations, which are in decline in North America, could be significantly impacted by CSP towers. A dedication ceremony was held for the Ivanpah plant on Feb. 13, 2014. Peter W. Davidson, Executive Director of the Loan Programs Office at the US Department of Energy, stated before the launch that "Ivanpah... has the capacity to generate 392 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity -- enough to power 94,400 average American homes... The successful completion of Ivanpah underscores America’s growing leadership in the global solar industry." Ivanpah's developer, BrightSource Energy, Inc., promotes the alternative energy facility as utilizing "proven solar thermal technology and a low environmental impact..." BrightSource spokesman Joe Desmond, reacting to reports of bird deaths in Feb. 2014, stated that the company has "confidence in the technology and its ability to operate and perform as expected," and that he believes the bird death issue will be resolved. Sources:
BrightSource Energy, Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System homepage, ivanpahsolar.com (accessed Apr. 16, 2014)
Peter W. Davidson, "Celebrating the Completion of the World's Largest Concentrating Solar Power Plant," energy.gov, Feb. 13, 2014 Chris Clarke, "Federal Lab Offers Grim Look at Solar Harm to Wildlife," kcet.org, Apr. 8, 2014 Rebecca A. Kagan, et al., National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, "Avian Mortality at Solar Energy Facilities in Southern California: A Preliminary Analysis," kcet.org, Apr. 2014 K. Kaufmann, "Birds Going Up in Smoke at Ivanpah Solar Project," desertsun.com, Apr. 7, 2014 Cassandra Sweet, "The $2.2 Billion Bird-Scorching Solar Project," wsj.com, Feb. 12, 2014 |
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