New research shows that wind turbines may in fact harm the environment – the change in air pressures caused by the rotating blades may be killing bats.

Canadian scientists were called in to examine bats which had been found dead around a wind farm. After examining the bats they concluded that most had internal injuries consistent with a sudden loss of air pressure. Although the bats echo-location ensure that they do not hit the blades themselves, they are unable to detect the pressure changes around the blades, and it is these pressure changes which may cause the mammals to die.

Wind turbines have been known to cause bat deaths for several years however the exact causes were unknown. Europe and North America have seen widespread cases of bat deaths around wind farms and the issue was so widespread that two years ago, EU nations agreed to ensure that developers were aware of the problem, and to also find ways of monitoring bat migration paths. The new regulations have already seen several wind farm proposals turned down as they had the potential to damage local bat populations.

Despite the well-known documentation of the problem, up until now it had been unclear as to why the turbines were causing so many bat deaths. The Canadian scientists collected several species of bats at a wind farm in Alberta and examined them thoroughly. They found that around half of the bars had external injuries which could have been caused by a collision. Around 90 percent of the bats examined had internal injuries, most notable haemorrhaging in the chest cavity which causes pressure on the lungs and can be fatal.

The scientists believe that the internal injuries are consisted with a bat flying into a low-pressure zone such as those found around the rotating blades of a wind farm. Any bat who strays into a low pressure zone may find it’s lungs expanding suddenly, capillaries in the surrounding tissue bursting and causing them to become flooded with blood.

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