An Ohio wind farm switched on ultrasonic “bat repellents” at 16 test turbines, and eastern red bat deaths roughly doubled instead of falling

Researchers found the best strategy to mitigate bat mortality based on an Ohio wind farm study.

The United States’ clean energy needs have significantly changed since the rapid adoption of digital infrastructure.

Higher electricity demands now require high-capacity generation, with wind power playing a vital role.

A field study at the Blue Creek facility in Ohio focused on distinct strategies, and combinations thereof, to lower bat mortality rates.

However, developers are pressured to address the infrastructure’s long-standing challenge with blade collisions.

Will the findings of the Ohio study help accelerate expansion while protecting vulnerable species?

How the digital revolution altered American energy needs

The United States has entered the digital age in full swing.

Significant changes occurred, as decades of stagnant growth gave way to a sudden surge in American electricity demand.

Several sectors have adopted digital networks, leading to a major rise in smart technologies and AI.

Soon, the push for electrification followed, and data centers began sprawling all over the country.

The latest analytic projections estimate that, by 2028, data center power consumption could reach 580 terawatt-hours.

As a result, they will be responsible for nearly 12% of the nation’s total electricity usage.

Advanced manufacturing, AI, and cloud computing are the main drivers.

Now, peak demand forecasts over the next five years are nearly fivefold higher.

This places immense pressure on utility providers to meet these demands while keeping carbon footprints low.

Consequently, the need to rapidly scale clean energy projects is greater than ever.

Utility-scale wind is especially essential to bridging this supply gap.

The importance of scaling up wind capacity in the U.S.

As American power demand hits records throughout the year, scaling utility-scale wind is vital.

Onshore turbines have become more modern, achieving much higher capacity factors.

Over time, these factors enable projects to produce more megawatt-hours per megawatt installed.

Solar power generation is limited to daylight hours, often dropping to zero in off-peak periods.

Wind resources are essential complements, supplying clean electricity during nighttime.

Furthermore, modern giant turbines can decouple grid growth from fossil fuels while managing heavy grid loads.

The high-volume, affordable power ensures grid operators meet higher demands while keeping net-zero targets on track.

However, as turbine towers grow taller, the long-standing ecological risks of wind power become more complex.

Bigger turbines have longer blades, which operate at greater heights.

Consequently, the risk of collisions with avian species increases.

Fortunately, a study at Avangrid Renewables’ Blue Creek Wind Energy Facility was conducted to establish the best mitigation methods.

Mitigation efforts to save vulnerable bat species

A field study at the Blue Creek facility in Ohio focused on distinct strategies, and combinations thereof, to lower bat mortality rates.

Operational curtailment, high-frequency acoustic deterrence, their combination, and normal operation were evaluated.

To the researchers’ surprise, the eastern red bat species had an unexpected reaction to the “bat repellents.”

The experimental design consisted of six ultrasonic deterrent devices added to 16 experimental turbines.

The operational treatments were randomly rotated over a multi-month monitoring period.

Surprising effects on bat mortality rates

The combination of acoustic deterrents and turbine curtailment showed no additional reductions in overall mortalities.

The deterrents alone provided some reduction in fatalities for low-frequency callers, such as hoary and big brown bats.

However, high-frequency callers, like eastern red bats, experienced double the mortality compared to control conditions.

The hypothesis is that the acoustic signal may have either disrupted the bats’ navigation or attracted them.

The study concluded that operational curtailment is still the best mitigation strategy.

It creates a direct link between the spinning of turbine blades and mortality instead of just focusing on wind speed.

Since other efforts trigger unexpected species-specific risks, it is vital to establish ecological data before construction begins.

This way, developers can determine which strategies are best to boost wildlife conservation while increasing wind capacity.

You can review the field study at the APA CITE: Clerc, J., Huso, M., Schirmacher, M., Whitby, M., & Hein, C. (2025). Ultrasonic deterrents provide no additional benefit over curtailment in reducing bat fatalities at an Ohio wind energy facility. Plos one, 20(5), e0318451.