REWI develops environmental knowledge in the field of renewable energy

Renewable energy is an essential part of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve global environmental goals, the industry must pay close attention to how renewable energy facilities interact with local ecosystems and wildlife.

To minimize environmental impact, industry often needs answers to unanswered scientific questions. In 2008, Pattern Energy and other renewable energy partners pooled their resources to establish the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI).

REWI is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to conducting peer-reviewed scientific research on the risks and benefits of wind and solar energy generation to wildlife and developing practical solutions to minimize or mitigate the risks. The organization’s staff summarizes the state of science, generates and manages projects, serves as an advisor to researchers in the field, and supports the development of research protocols while maintaining high standards of independence and excellence.

REWI (formerly the American Wind Wildlife Institute, AWWI) was founded by industry and leaders from the conservation and science communities who understood the need to better understand the risks and benefits of wind energy to wildlife and natural resources. Pattern and others in the industry, as well as public agencies and the conservation and science communities, began addressing these issues more than 30 years ago. At the time, wind power was new to the energy landscape. Impacts on raptor populations in the Altamont Pass wind resource area in California have raised concerns among environmentalists about the effects of wind energy on bird species.

“The collaborative study of wind and bird interactions at Altamont Pass was a critical step for the renewable energy industry and the conservation and science communities to recognize the benefits that can arise from collaborative research,” says REWI Executive Director Abby Arnold. “Only through collaborative research and dialogue were stakeholders able to answer questions about what was happening and why, and then develop recommended practices.”

REWI’s collaborative investigation model has been applied to many wind energy facilities and is now being applied to solar facilities as well. Insights into wildlife challenges provide policymakers with the information they need to inform policy, including recently updated U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wind energy guidelines The Eagle Principle.

A leader in learning and collaboration

Seventeen years ago, leaders of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) wanted to better understand the risks associated with wildlife and natural resources. Former Pattern Energy CEO Mike Garland has been one of the leading voices calling on the industry to do more than just fund passive nonprofits. “The idea was to engage colleagues from environmental, scientific and public agency communities to establish credibility with regulators, scientists, consultants and others,” Arnold says.

REWI was initially established as a partnership between 16 industry, environmental, scientific and non-governmental organizations, as well as state fish and game public agencies. “It was an experiment at first,” Arnold says. REWI currently includes more than 40 organizations, including renewable energy companies representing 57.6% of U.S. onshore wind and solar generation in early 2024, as well as 16 conservation science organizations and public agencies. REWI has spent the last sixteen years leading dozens research projects using independent science, producing technical reports and publications in scientific journals after rigorous peer review.

Today’s renewable energy industry has evolved significantly since the first wave of wind facilities were built on the Altamont Pass. Considering environmental impact is no longer a secondary consideration, but is one of the first factors considered by most project developers.

REWRF funds independent research on industry priorities

In 2018, industry leaders increased their commitment to advancing scientific research by establishing the Renewable Energy Wildlife Research Fund (REWRF or Fund). REWI manages and administers the Industry Fund on behalf of its industry members. Pattern Energy’s director of permitting and policy strategy, Adam Cernea Clark, is one of three members of the Fund’s Executive Committee, which makes major decisions on behalf of the Fund, including making project recommendations. REWI employees support the Fund’s partners in generating inquiries and assessing applications, while ensuring the independence and credibility of science.

Fund manager Trey McDonald says the fund sponsors peer-reviewed research on interactions between wildlife and renewable energy facilities. “REWRF-supported projects address key issues, possible conflicts and potential solutions to support expansion. The goal is to inform all decision-makers, including agencies, industry, and the conservation and science communities,” McDonald says.

Since its inception, the Fund has raised over $4.7 million and supported over 20 research projects.

Exploring potential impacts, both good and bad

The Fund recently approved funding for a new research project to determine the ecological value of a utility-scale solar energy facility. The project will be the result of cooperation between academic researchers, consultants and a member of the REWI scientific team.

The project reflects the maturation of solar energy over the last decade. Arnold says solar energy provides unique opportunities and challenges that are separate problems from those presented by wind energy. “As we begin to look at solar energy, our scientists are shifting the conversation to explore the potential ecosystem benefits of these facilities, not just the risks.”

McDonald says the new study will establish a baseline and use scientific modeling to examine how wildlife interacts with utility-scale solar installations in different regions of the country. “The focus will be on vertebrate biodiversity within the site and associated landscape,” McDonald says. The wide-ranging study will examine the local environment from the granular, species level to the community ecosystem as a whole. “The study will include bats, birds, other mammals, reptiles and amphibians,” he says.

Other research projects supported by the Fund include numerous studies investigating the root causes of bat mortality in wind farms. For example, one study tested the effectiveness of a camera system designed to detect bat fatalities. It is hoped that the system will enable researchers to determine the specific conditions surrounding such fatalities, enabling the development of accurate mitigation measures.

The results of research supported by the Fund are published in peer-reviewed journals or in the form of technical reports by REWI. The organization publishes its reports online at rewi.org.

Pattern Energy is proud to be a leading partner in REWI’s mission to better understand the interconnections between our projects and the natural world. By following the guidance of conservation science, the industry can continue to support a carbon neutral future while acting as responsible stewards of local wildlife.