Paint it black. This is obviously the title of a Rolling Stones hit, but also the title of a study published by Norwegian researchers on bird mortality following a collision with wind turbines. Their conclusion: partially painting the blades black would kill fewer birds.
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Norwegian researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research have found a solution to lower the mortality rate in birds: partially repainting one of the blades black. The study was carried out at a wind farm located in the northwest of the island of Smøla, an archipelago located off the coast in central Norway. During the period 2006-2016, 20, then 48 turbines were involved in the study, which recorded the number of bird carcasses found at the foot of the masts. In August 2013, one of the three rotor blades was painted black on four of the turbines, to promote visual contrast when in motion. And the result of the study is clear: the annual death rate decreased by 71.9% on average in turbines with painted blades, compared to neighboring turbines. It is the raptors that have benefited the most from this innovation, no more deaths of white-tailed eagles, also called great sea eagles, having been noted for example.
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This study could provide a solution to a paradoxical problem: the constant increase in the number of wind farms seems to be harming wildlife. The conclusions of the study therefore recommend reproducing this experience on a larger number of wind turbines and on new sites in order to generalize this type of painting. For Ecology and Evolution, it is essential to find solutions like this, reconciling the protection of birds and the development of a growing wind energy sector.
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