How to have wind energy and birds
Wind farms on the Texas coast can reduce electricity costs for all of South Texas, and recent modifications have been made to protect migrating birds.
Texas will need to increase the amount of electricity it produces by about 20 percent over the next 15 years. At the same time, exploding natural gas prices are causing higher electric bills.
The proposed 400 megawatt wind-power plant on the Texas coast would produce electricity at the hottest times of the day and displace expensive gas-fired electricity. If enough wind farms are built, electricity costs for all South Texans could be reduced. One concern from avid bird watchers on the Texas coast is that birds will fly into the turbines and be killed. In response to this concern, project developers have met with environmental groups and birdwatchers and have studied bird migration patterns for two years. To minimize impact on bird migration, they’ve developed new radar and sonar equipment to measure the size, timing, height, speed and location of the bird migrations. As a result of the studies, the plant will be moved out of the migration path to minimize impact on the bird populations.
A more serious threat to birds may be the global warming emissions of the new coal plants planned for Texas. As the climate heats up, nature’s timing is changing. Many plants bloom early and insect larva hatch earlier than birds arrive, reducing the food birds need. And, as the sea levels continue to rise, much of the coastal marshland will be flooded and nesting sites eliminated.