Burning birds

[MartG]

An unexpected downside to large solar power plants....

Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant's concentrated sun rays -- "streamers," for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair

http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2014/08/...

So it's not only windymills that kill birds

[Digga]

Well-intentioned idiots have a history of falling for easy fixes that have unfortunate, unintended consequences.

[otolith]

Who would have imagined a massive solar death ray could be so dangerous to wildlife?

[ATG]

More to the point, who cares? Does it matter if a few birds go up in smoke? Don't think there's much evidence that birds get shredded by wind farms, but even if there was, do we really care?

[McWigglebum4th]

ATG said:

More to the point, who cares? Does it matter if a few birds go up in smoke? Don't think there's much evidence that birds get shredded by wind farms, but even if there was, do we really care?

I live near wind turbines

I have found a few buzzards which have been hit by a blade

A sad end to beautiful birds

[MartG]

ATG said:

More to the point, who cares? Does it matter if a few birds go up in smoke? Don't think there's much evidence that birds get shredded by wind farms, but even if there was, do we really care?

Many people do care - ironically often the same people who support solar/wind power as they also care about the environment

[Fittster]

Radioactive birds at Sellafield:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jun/08...

I'm sure they might be some cases of birds getting caught in oil slicks.

[dandarez]

ATG said:

More to the point, who cares? Does it matter if a few birds go up in smoke? Don't think there's much evidence that birds get shredded by wind farms, but even if there was, do we really care?

More to the point, you very obviously don't!

[Grumfutock]

Oh for he love of god. Pass the tree, I need to hug something.

[Gargamel]

Lets start a list - things that Kill birds


1. Other Birds

[Grumfutock]

Lets start a list - things that Kill birds


1. Other Birds
2. Cats
3. Whales
4. Cars
5. Sharks
6. Seals
7. Shot guns
8. Solar death ray's

[fido]

Photovoltaic cells. 10/10 warblers prefer it.

[ATG]

dandarez said:

More to the point, you very obviously don't!

I eat birds. I don't have a big problem with people shooting birds for fun. I've run a few over in my car. So, no, I don't think the life of a bird is sacrosanct.

Cost versus benefit. If a few birds have to take one for the team, so be it.

[Moonhawk]

Grumfutock said:

Lets start a list - things that Kill birds
1. Other Birds
2. Cats
3. Whales
4. Cars
5. Sharks
6. Seals
7. Shot guns
8. Solar death ray's

You forgot:

9. Flying sharks dual wielding shotguns and solar death rays.

[TLandCruiser]

ATG said:

More to the point, who cares? Does it matter if a few birds go up in smoke? Don't think there's much evidence that birds get shredded by wind farms, but even if there was, do we really care?

Yes because it leads to consequences which can have a bad effect to the ecosystem, going by the figure thats quoted in the article means that 262,800 birds are roughly killed a year, those birds are not eating the insects in the area which then overwhelm and kill local crops for instance. If you also follow that attitude we may as well dump all our rubbish in the sea because after all, its just some fish that die.

[otolith]

ATG said:

I eat birds. I don't have a big problem with people shooting birds for fun. I've run a few over in my car. So, no, I don't think the life of a bird is sacrosanct.

Cost versus benefit. If a few birds have to take one for the team, so be it.

The question is really whether it will kill enough birds to have a population level effect.

[Some Gump]

I spent all of 30 seconds trying to work out how to fix this. You could build a massive net, but that would cause 2 issues.
First, 10 bajillion pigeons would roost on it, and cack all over the solar death mirrors. This would need some sort of fireproof man to polish the mirrors.
Second, we all know that big nets kill sharks - and no-one in nevada wants loads of rotting sharks stinking up the place. The CFC footprint of that much Fabreeze aerosol would probably overdo the benefitr of using a solar death ray to generate electricity in the first place.

[OlberJ]

Lets start a list - things that Kill birds


1. Other Birds
2. Cats
3. Whales
4. Cars
5. Sharks
6. Seals
7. Shot guns
8. Solar death ray's
9. Baking Soda and water within close proximity

[Grumfutock]

Your looking at this all wrong. This is a win/win for the environmentalists. Bear with me here:

Solar power is better than fossil, nukes and fracking. Mega solar is therefore uber good. In the process of generating said super clean electricity it serves up a few cooked ready meals nice and hot then that is even more electricity saved.

The Elderly get fed, Icebergs freeze, trees grow, oceans sink and all the pretty flowers grow for the hippies to put in their hair.

I am a fecking genius!

[Grumfutock]

1. Other Birds
2. Cats
3. Whales
4. Cars
5. Sharks
6. Seals
7. Shot guns
8. Solar death ray's
9. Baking Soda and water within close proximity
10.Gin and bread
11.Jet engines