Wolfe Island Wind Plant post-construction follow-up plan bird and bat resources monitoring report No. 6, July–December 2011

Published source details Stantec Consulting Ltd. (2012) Wolfe Island Wind Plant post-construction follow-up plan bird and bat resources monitoring report No. 6, July–December 2011. Stantec Consulting Ltd. report.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Increase the wind speed at which turbines become operational (‘cut-in speed’) Action Link

Increase the wind speed at which turbines become operational (‘cut-in speed’)

A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 2011 at a wind farm on an island in Ontario, Canada (Stantec Consulting Ltd. 2012) found that increasing the wind speed at which turbines become operational (‘cut-in speed’) resulted in fewer bat fatalities than at conventional turbines. Average bat fatality estimates were lower at turbines with cut-in speeds increased to 4.5 m/s (2.7 bats/turbines) or 5.5 m/s (2.1 bats/turbine) than at conventional control turbines (5.3 bats/turbine). The differences were not tested for statistical significance. Four bat species were found (see original report for details). In July–September 2011, fourteen turbines were randomly assigned to each of two treatments (increased cut-in speed of 4.5 or 5.5 m/s from sunset to sunrise) or as controls (conventional cut-in speed of 4 m/s). Carcass searches were carried out twice weekly along transects within circular plots (50-m radius) around each of the 42 turbines. Carcass counts were corrected to account for searcher efficiency, removal by scavengers, and the percentage of plot areas searched.

(Summarised by: Anna Berthinussen)