Wind turbines' effect on environment

Wind energy seems like a win-win for the area, providing energy with low impact on the environment. But what happens to wildlife when wind turbines go up?

Wind turbines produce enough clean energy to power hundreds of thousands of homes across Indiana, but Purdue University Associate Professor John Dunning said they could also pose a threat to animals that share the airspace.

"The worry is if you put something dramatically different, like big towers with whirling blades in them, some of the species that previously used that area - might not get killed - but they might avoid going into the area," Dunning said.

Before wind turbines were installed in the fields of Benton County, developers at the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm studied the area and tried to minimize the effect on wildlife who exist here.

Dunning said wind turbines in Benton County are bird-friendly turbines that include blinking lights at the top and eliminate support wires.

"That should decrease the mortality problem, the killing of the birds, by 50 to 60 percent," Dunning said.

But a different story is developing for bats. Dunning said they are flying out of nearby wooded areas and into the towers.

"Those uncommon species apparently do their courtship flights flying up and down the tallest tree in the forest. You put a wind turbine out in a cornfield, that's automatically the tallest tree in the forest," Dunning said.

Fowler Ridge Wind Farm Manager Bob Myer said researchers will monitor the fields for evidence of bird and bat fatalities and then decide what changes need to be made. John Dunning said clean wind energy is ultimately better for the environment and in turn, animals. He said any negative affects could be eliminated with good planning.