Wirey
Fartist
BrightSource solar plant sets birds on fire as they fly overhead - Technology & Science - CBC News
I swear, even I think I faked this.
I swear, even I think I faked this.
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
Solar power Plant Lighting Birds On Fire In Midair
- Thread starter Wirey
- Start date
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
Guess these guys never read Ringworld.
That's a lot of damaged wildlife. That's terrible.
Not acceptable, considering there are solar setups that do not have this issue.
Sha'irullah
رسول الآلهة
This sounds like an excellent doomsday device. Can it heat up the atmosphere? World conquest shall come sooner than I thought.
...Mew
...Mew
How about that.....a broiler which also makes electricity!
Sha'irullah
رسول الآلهة
How? Can you even fathom how many nations I could conquer with a device like that. It will be a perfect weapon against aerial attacks. Forget birds, jets are what need you should be looking out for
...Mew
How? Well, I guess that sunlight thats focused enough appearently sets birds on fire
.Regarding the conquest thing... might I suggest you rip the device from Earth, put it in orbit and point it down? Imagine the horror of the poor earthlings! As long as no birds get burned, I would totally help you with that.
If they observed one bird becoming "streamers" every two minutes, that number of 1,000 to 28,000 seems extremely low as an estimate, even considering that this may only occur (that's my guess) during daylight hours.
It seems these effects were observed prior to the plant becoming operational.
Here is an article that contains a link to the federal report in the third paragraph. Federal Lab Offers Grim Look at Solar Harm to Wildlife | Solar | ReWire | KCET
NRG Energy, Inc. (BrightSource) | Department of Energy
edit: It seem to me like an extremely high cost both in terms of money and impact on the environment for producing electricity for 140,00 homes. That a very small number IMO in terms of energy production.
It seems these effects were observed prior to the plant becoming operational.
Here is an article that contains a link to the federal report in the third paragraph. Federal Lab Offers Grim Look at Solar Harm to Wildlife | Solar | ReWire | KCET
NRG Energy, Inc. (BrightSource) | Department of Energy
edit: It seem to me like an extremely high cost both in terms of money and impact on the environment for producing electricity for 140,00 homes. That a very small number IMO in terms of energy production.
Last edited:
Wirey
Fartist
It's not the power generation, it's the advances in technology. The original internal combustion engines were horribly inefficient compared to todays, but they still had value as the starting point for technological evolution.
esmith
Veteran Member
One would think that this is a "spoof". However, after researching the story it appears that it is true. However, one question I have is how about wind generators and their impact on birds? One would have to "assume" that more birds are killed by wind generators than solar panels due to the difference in their location.
Wirey
Fartist
Wind turbines chew birds up pretty good. Of course, there are more wind turbines than Dr. Evil Death Ray Stations, so I would guess they'd win by default.
I'm guessing wind turbines also chew up insects, like the death ray. Is that accurate?
Wirey
Fartist
Apparently birds aren't able to dodge the blades.
HowStuffWorks "Do wind turbines kill birds?"
They're building better ones all the time. Again, that technological improvement by building the first one thing.
I really do understand there is a learning curve with anything new, and that advances in technology, and trying new things, involve risk.
I see the estimate is 10,000 - 40,000 bird deaths a year from wind turbines -- but I understand that to mean a total impact from all wind turbines in the U.S. in a year, and I understand the number cited from the Ivanpah plant is one location.
The zapper seems particularly disturbing to me, though, since it seems the light from it is attracting hordes of insects, (including monarch butterflies) and then they get zapped when they enter the field. It seems to me this has the potential to be much more damaging to wild life than the wind turbines. It sounds like the same effect of the electric bug zappers some people use on their porch.
I'm sure I must be missing something, and I think the average of one streamer every two minutes does not all refer to birds...but according to that, if including all wild life... that seems like a lot more significant wildlife impact than the estimated upper range of 28,000 estimated birds. I also don't know whether or not daylight or nighttime conditions affect the situation.
If that average, and my math, is correct (24 hours a day) -- that would be 720 units of wildlife a day, (2,817,800 a year) some (estimated up to 28,000) of which are birds.
I'm curious if it is especially worse during daytime or nighttime. Didn't notice that addressed in anything I've read so far.
So far, it seems like a lot of damage from just one location. I hope they improve the technology a lot.
Thruve
Sheppard for the Die Hard
I... need one of those Dr. Death ray zapper fields by my house. Im sick of insects, sick of mosquitoes, sick of frogs, and idgaf about the birds here in urdan central. None of the native birds come this far east anyhow, they hang out near/in the everglades.