Birds Die Over Solar Panels

Federal biologists say about 6 000 birds die from collisions or immolation annually while chasing flying insects around the facility.

Birds die over solar panels.

The estimate by biologists is that the ivanpah solar plant kills about 3 500 birds per year this way. The other solar farms analyzed by the investigators were of the newfangled trough and solar. The ivanpah solar electric generating system the world s largest. We have clarified this article to explain how the solar thermal plant differs from the far more common design used in photovoltaic solar farms.

Horror at the world s largest solar farm days after it opens as it is revealed panels are scorching birds that fly over them. Bird experts say we don t know much about background mortality rates in the desert the number of birds that might die at project locations even in the absence of solar panels. Workers at a state of the art solar plant in the mojave desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant s concentrated sun rays streamers for the smoke plume from birds that ignite. With a concentraing solar plant birds can be harmed when they fly too close to the path of the reflected solar energy.

If they do they can basically get cooked by the high energy rays. Birds can be killed when they smash into the facility s solar panels the investigation concluded. The bright blades and lights in turbines and solar panels actually attract birds. This mojave desert solar plant kills 6 000 birds a year.

Coverage of the ivanpah bird problem has contributed to the unfounded misconception that solar panels may kill birds. Bird barrier offers a solar panel protection kit to prevent birds from getting under the panels. Editor s note 9 september 2019.