Our great vision that inspires us is to change the experience of humanity's interaction with the planet. To create a mindset where "using" the planet is replaced by "cooperating" with it. The basis for any cooperation is mutual benefit, the win-win principle. Achieving this vision is impossible when our actions harm nature and become a threat to it. This is a big topic and we will tell you more about how the Sirocco wind turbines are designed to be safe for the planet at all stages, from production to disposal.
Today we will talk about birds. If you search the internet for photos of fields near wind turbines, you will find countless pictures where they are littered with dead birds. The scale of the problem is incredible. Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are around 140,000 and 500,000 turbine-related bird deaths in the US each year. Globally, it’s predicted that bird deaths resulting from wind turbines will increase to over 2 million per year by 2050.
Wind turbines are a particular threat to soaring birds of prey such as Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, Golden and Bald eagles, Red-tailed and Swainson's hawks, and kestrels, as these birds spend much of their day flying and scanning the ground in pursuit of prey.
Why wind turbines kill birds
The issue is that the blades are very long. This means that the edge of the blade that is attached to the generator passes through a very small radius and moves slowly, while the other edge must cover a huge distance over a large radius in the same amount of time. To cover this distance, the blade edge moves at a fantastically high speed. The rotational speed of the blades is usually between 30 and 60 revolutions per minute (rpm). This means that the tips of the blades are moving at between 1800 and 3600 rpm. The blades of a typical wind turbine are about 50 meters in length, so the tips of the blades are travelling at around 100 to 200 m/s. As a result, a flying bird simply does not see the blades or the wind turbine and gets hurt.
Why are Sirocco wind turbines safe for birds?
Sirocco wind turbines have short blades and instead of rotational movement, they have translational movement. The blade moves at the same speed along its entire length, which ensures that the speed of the blade edges is not very high. For a bird, the Sirocco wind turbine is like a wall that it sees and safely flies around. So take a look outside. See that bird? You might saved its life with your investment.
