UK's offshore windfarms to be painted black to tackle bird collisions

Wind turbines offshore in the UK are set to be painted black as part of a government initiative to minimise the number of bird collisions and fatalities.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is carrying out the trial following the UK government's recent announcement that it will increase the number of turbines in the North Sea.

More turbines could impact "foraging areas"

Defra officials raised concerns that this increase could negatively impact avian wildlife if located in their "foraging areas".

Research into the number of bird deaths caused by collisions with offshore wind turbines is currently limited, but estimations range from four to 18 per turbine per year.

The scheme is scheduled to run for four years and will involve painting turbines with various finishes to determine which is most successful in increasing visibility to birds. This will include striped and all-black finishes.

A study conducted in Norway in 2020 investigating the effects of painting one wind turbine blade black found a 70 per cent drop in bird deaths.

Defra's scheme will also examine the effect of coating wind turbines in ultraviolet (UV) – a common technique used to minimise collisions with windows.

According to The Telegraph, the painting of operational turbine blades will commence in 2027 following initial lab studies, which are already underway.

Trump told Starmer to scrap turbine plans 

The UK government's announcement of its plans to increase the number of turbines follows US president Donald Trump's recent signing of an executive order pausing all wind energy projects in the US. At the time, Trump told Fox News that "they kill the birds, and they're horrible".

Trump has frequently expressed his aversion to wind turbines and upon finding out the UK's plans in December, he is said to have advised UK prime minister Keir Starmer to "get rid of windmills" – the US president's nickname for turbines.

The issue of bird collisions with man-made structures has become a common topic in the architecture industry in recent years, particularly in the USA. In 2021, mass bird deaths were reported in New York City due to collisions with glass skyscrapers.

In a Dezeen feature in 2022, experts said legislation was needed to force architects to prevent the mass slaughter of birds that "didn't evolve to deal with glass".

That year, exclusive Dezeen research also found that none of the UK's biggest cities have policies in place to protect birds from deadly strikes with buildings in their boroughs.

The main photo is by Anthony Aird via Unsplash.

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