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Is a solar plant near the Nevada border killing thousands of birds?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES

Estimates vary, but the number of bird deaths at the Ivanpah solar plant five miles south of the Nevada border is agreed to be in the thousands.

Ivanpah uses mirrors to concentrate beams of sunlight that reach temperatures of nearly 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat is used to boil water, which generates steam that turns electricity-generating turbines.

Birds flying through the plant’s “flux field” are sometimes incinerated, while others fatally collide with structures. A site consultant estimated that from October 2013 to October 2014, 690 birds died from incineration, 756 from collisions and an additional 2,012 from other causes such as natural desert mortality. An estimate the following year by a different consultant placed the number at 2,500 deaths from known causes and 3,685 from unknown causes.

A 2016 study found that U.S. solar plants have a lower avian mortality rate than U.S. fossil fuel plants: 9.3-10.7 bird mortalities per megawatt-year for the former compared to 74.2 mortalities per megawatt-year for the latter.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
E&E News Bird deaths at California power plant a PR nightmare for industry
California Energy Commission Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Avian & Bat Monitoring Plan - 2013-2014 Annual Report (Revised)
California Energy Commission ISEGS Avian and Bat Monitoring Plan 2014-2015
Renewable Energy Journal A preliminary assessment of avian mortality at utility-scale solar energy facilities in the United States
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The Nevada Independent
The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.