Register today for this next seminar of the ESE Fall 2025 Seminar Series: The Janak Raj Lectures. This seminar is available online only via Zoom. 

Presented by: Don Solick, Senior Technical Lead, EPRI; Owner/Bat Biologist at Vesper Bat Echolocation Specialists

REGISTER HERE

TIME: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Eastern Time 
LOCATION - ZOOM MEETING link to be sent prior to the seminar date
CONTACT US: inesei@lehigh.edu  

Abstract:   Bats are extremely beneficial to our ecosystems, our economy, and our health. Wind energy is an important component of our renewable-energy portfolio that can help reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on foreign oil. However, bats and wind energy are fundamentally incompatible, leading to a green-green dilemma. Every wind energy facility kills bats, sometimes in the thousands per year per facility, and is leading to potential extinction of at least one formerly widespread bat species. The best solution for reducing bat fatalities is turning off wind turbines during risky periods, but this interferes with energy production. This talk will begin with discussion of the ecology of bats, the benefits they provide, and why they are susceptible to colliding with wind turbine blades. We will then discuss potential fatality minimization strategies that the wind energy industry could implement and their advantages and disadvantages.
Join us for this seminar!
 

Bio:  Donald Solick has been involved with bat research for nearly 30 years, and has specialized in bat acoustic monitoring and bat-wind energy issue for half of his career. At EPRI he is a Technical Leader within the Protected Species program and is involved with multiple cutting-edge projects focused on reducing impact to bats while increasing energy production by wind energy facilities. Donald frequently provides training for people to identify bat species from their echolocation calls, and he is currently writing two books on that subject. He also gives presentations on bats to schools and to the public. When he isn't thinking about bats, Donald is raising his non-binary teenager, scuba-diving, traveling, and dancing Cuban salsa.