To help discourage bats from approaching wind turbines, Duke Energy Renewables is working with NRG Systems to install a bat deterrent system. The technology uses ultrasound to block the sonar that bats use to navigate in the dark, causing them to avoid areas around the wind turbines.
Duke Energy Renewables will install NRG Systems’ Bat Deterrent System over a five-year period at 255 wind turbines at its Los Vientos III, IV and V wind sites beginning in July 2019. The Rio Grande Valley, where the Los Vientos wind projects are located, has a robust population of common bat species. Maintaining this local bat population was the impetus behind a two-year field study conducted by Duke Energy Renewables, NRG Systems and Texas State University. The study found that the Bat Deterrent System reduced overall bat fatalities by 50% around wind turbine locations at Los Vientos III, IV and V.
