From the Ocean to Ancient Forests—Offshore Wind Can Work for California’s Birds

Climate change poses an existential threat to birds and people. It is occurring 20 times faster than it has in the past 2 million years, and Audubon’s climate report estimates that nearly two-thirds of North American birds are at a great risk of extinction due to climate change. But if we act to reduce carbon emissions and work to mitigate the impacts from climate change, we know that climate-vulnerable bird species will be better off, and nearly 150 species would likely be saved from the threat of extinction driven by global temperature rise.

Stabilizing the climate means developing renewable energy like offshore wind and connecting it to California’s grid. California needs approximately 25 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind to meet our 2045 goal of relying 100% on renewable energy, according to the California Energy Commission.  To meet that goal, California currently has five projects in development in the Humboldt Wind Energy and the Morro Bay Wind Energy areas. These projects aim to bring approximately 5 GW of power to shore—enough to power about 5 million homes.

Planning with Birds in Mind 

As with all energy sources, there are upfront costs and resources required for offshore wind, and there will be challenges along the way. Thankfully, this is not an entirely new industry. We can apply knowledge gained from offshore wind projects that began in 1991 in Europe and more recent lessons from projects in the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, we can apply our local knowledge by involving Tribal communities and other local parties like Audubon community chapters early in the planning process, and utilize data from migratory bird and marine life monitoring. This can help ensure offshore wind locations are chosen responsibly, with environmental and cultural considerations. 

Audubon knows that introducing large structures like offshore wind turbines and transmission lines into the marine environment can affect birds and other marine life. But we are confident that well-sited and appropriately mitigated projects will produce outcomes that will benefit people and birds by reducing emissions and addressing the worst impacts of climate change.

Following thorough research, Audubon experts are confident that these unintended consequences can be avoided through proper siting and planning. Recent research by the Schatz Energy Research Center studied 44 seabird species off the California coast and found that 8% fly at a height that may conflict with turbine blades. Understanding this, studies can narrow in on mitigation efforts for specific impacted species—such as California Gull, Western Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Heermann's Gull, Short-billed Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte's Gull, and Sabine's Gull—which are among some of the most common birds flying above 10 meters. The study also showed that “seabirds can actively avoid wind facilities,” and in the Atlantic Ocean, “nearly all birds present at rotor-swept heights in the vicinity of operating turbines are likely to avoid being struck by the blades under typical conditions.” 

There have been ongoing efforts to understand additional techniques to support safe flight paths for seabirds, such as painting turbine blades or shutting turbines down during migration.  Ongoing research and monitoring are essential and will increase our understanding of marine life and birds. Some scientists are optimistic that monitoring from wind farms, including improved technologies on turbines, may provide more data on seabird and marine activity than we have ever had.