Dutch Windmill Blades to Spin Slower to Save Birds During Migration
- Government will ask wind parks to slow blades twice a year
- Pilot program is set to begin during coming migratory season
The Egmond aan Zee wind farm off the coast of Ijmuiden, Netherlands.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg
This article is for subscribers only.
The Netherlands heavily relies on wind turbines in its energy transition — at the expense of thousands of birds that get killed by fast-spinning blades. Now officials say they have a solution to spare some of the migratory animals.
In a project in conducted with the University of Amsterdam, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy Rob Jetten will ask some wind parks in the North Sea to slow their blades during migration twice a year to provide safe passage to birds, according to the government plans seen by Bloomberg.