ScottishPower Renewables have a dedicated team of in house ecologists supporting our portfolio of onshore wind, solar and battery in the UK and Ireland from early conception to operations.
Our onshore ecology team are responsible for ensuring our ecological commitments are delivered on time and to a high standard.
What areas do our team specialise in?
The team also undertake industry leading research projects and develop innovative and cost-effective methods to ensure we continue to develop and operate projects in an ecologically sensitive manner.
BIOSCAN project
We, as ScottishPower Renewables, have been selected to take part in a cutting-edge project, BIOSCAN, that’s studying one million flying insects from across the UK and could lead to the discovery of new species.
Data from the project will also allow the ecology team to detect what impact our peatland restoration work has on the insect communities at Whitelee.
Ornithology in practice
Birds can be significantly impacted by windfarms, making ornithology a crucial part of our ecological studies. Understanding these impacts is vital for both conservation and regulatory compliance. We have conducted extensive ornithological studies across the UK and Ireland, enhancing our knowledge of bird interactions with windfarms.
Golden Eagle Study at Beinn an Tuirc
In 1997, we partnered with Natural Research Projects to study the ecology and movements of golden eagles at Beinn an Tuirc on Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula. This initiative was prompted by the proposal to build the Beinn an Tuirc Windfarm and concerns about its potential effects on the local golden eagle population.
Our research involved collecting data on eagle behaviour, habitat use, feeding, and breeding. This information was crucial in designing and planning the windfarm to minimize its impact on the eagles. The Beinn an Tuirc Windfarm, completed in 2001 with 45 turbines, was carefully sited away from the core home range of the golden eagles. Additionally, we implemented a habitat management program to offset any loss of foraging areas, including creating new habitats to support eagle prey like red grouse.
This long-term study, which continues to this day, has made Beinn an Tuirc one of the best-studied golden eagle territories in the world. Our ongoing monitoring has provided valuable insights into golden eagle behaviour and their interactions with windfarms, contributing to the broader understanding of their ecology in dynamic landscapes.
Our partnership with Natural Research Projects has also allowed us to satellite tag several eagle chicks, providing crucial data on the movements of young golden eagles.
Windfarm Wader Study
The onshore ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) Ecology team undertake operational research projects to better understand the interactions between windfarms and wildlife.
In 2022 a study was undertaken to determine the scale of impacts of wind turbines on breeding waders; a group of birds considered to be vulnerable to disturbance by turbines. The study examined the impact of two large SPR onshore windfarms in Scotland (Whitelee and Black Law) located in the Central Belt of Scotland, on populations of Common Snipe and Eurasian Curlew.
Long-term population monitoring data (collected between 2001 – 2018) for each species was compared with a “without windfarm” predicted population size by applying the national species trends to the pre-windfarm populations.
Population trends showed that curlew numbers remained stable and aligned with national trends, indicating that the number of curlew present within the windfarm was not significantly different from what would be expected had the windfarm not been constructed. Snipe abundance varied between sites, being higher compared to national trends at Black Law, but lower at Whitelee.
The conclusion of the study is that wind turbines have minimal impact on wader abundance at these two windfarms. Further studies are required to determine if the results are typical and the extent to which other variables may have an effect.
