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Black wind-turbine blade cuts bird deaths

Wind Turbines - Level 0

Wind farms provide green energy. However, wind-turbine blades kill thousands of birds. Researchers have an answer. Painting one blade black helps birds see the blades. This cut bird deaths by 70 per cent. A researcher said bird deaths was "one of the main environmental concerns related to wind energy".

Researchers tried to make wind turbines safer. They painted one blade of four turbines black. The turbines with one black blade reduced bird deaths. A bird protection group was happy. It said wind farms must be "in harmony with nature". It added: "We find the right places for them." It said they should not harm wildlife.

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Wind Turbines - Level 1

There are good things about wind farms. They provide green energy. However, there are also bad things. One is wind-turbine blades kill thousands of birds. They accidentally fly into the blades. Researchers have an answer. Painting one blade black helps birds see the blades. This cut bird deaths by 70 per cent. A researcher said bird deaths was "one of the main environmental concerns related to wind energy". The research is published in a journal.

Researchers looked at making wind-turbine blades safer. They painted one blade of four turbines black. The turbines with one black blade reduced bird deaths. A bird protection group was happy with the black blades. It said wind farms needed to be "in harmony with nature". It added: "Wind turbines are the right technology when we find the right places for them." It said wind farms should not be a risk to wildlife.

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Wind Turbines - Level 2

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There are many advantages of wind farms. One is they provide green energy. However, there are also disadvantages. One is the blades on turbines kill thousands of birds, which accidentally fly into the blades. Researchers have found an answer. Painting one blade black could help birds see the blades. This could cut bird strikes by 70 per cent. A researcher said: "The collision of birds...is one of the main environmental concerns related to wind energy development." The research has been published in the conservation journal "Ecology and Evolution".

Researchers looked at how to reduce the number of birds dying in wind-turbine blades. They painted one blade of four different turbines black. Over four years, the turbines with one black blade saw a huge reduction in bird deaths. A researcher said: "Few effective measures have been developed to reduce the risk of collision." A bird protection group welcomed the idea. It said wind farms needed to be "in harmony with nature". It added: "Wind turbines are the right technology when we find the right places for them." It said wind farms should cause little risk to wildlife.

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Wind Turbines - Level 3

There are many advantages of wind turbines and wind farms. They are important in providing green energy. However, there are also some disadvantages. One of these is that the giant blades on turbines kill thousands of birds. Many birds accidentally fly into the blades and die. Researchers have found a solution. They say painting one blade black could help birds see the rotating blades. This could cut bird strikes by up to 70 per cent. Researcher Dr Roel May said: "The collision of birds...is one of the main environmental concerns related to wind energy development." The findings of the research have been published in the conservation journal "Ecology and Evolution".

Dr May and his team conducted research on how to reduce the death rate of birds due to wind-turbine blades. They painted one blade of four different turbines black. The data showed that over four years, the turbines with one black blade saw a reduction in bird deaths of over 71 per cent. Dr May said: "Few effective measures have been developed to reduce the risk of collision." The RSPB, a bird protection group, welcomed the idea. It stressed the importance of wind farms needing to "take place in harmony with nature". It added: "Wind turbines are the right technology when we find the right places for them." It said wind farms should be put in places where there is little risk to wildlife.

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