Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

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in the absence of any turbine collisions. The measure of cumulative impact will be the difference between the newly derived rate and the background survivorship rate for the species. It is assumed that impacts of collision caused by an established wind farm on a bird population will function as a constant over time, provided aspects of the wind farm do not change. For this reason use of demographic rates (annual survivorship or mortality) are appropriate to quantify impacts because they are independent of population size and can be applied to determine the number of birds and bats predicted to be killed, or to survive, for any given population size. This is also allows for fluctuations in bird or bat population size that may occur over the operational lives of the relevant wind farms. Population Viability Analysis or Potential Biological Removal Assessment are appropriate tools for modelling effects of any impact (for single facilities or for the cumulative effects of multiple wind farms) on bird and bat populations. They can be undertaken where sufficient demographic information is available for a species under consideration and will utilise altered mortality rates due to wind farm collisions, as described above, to indicate effects on maintenance and functioning of the species’ population. D.6 Glossary & acronyms Barotrauma Before – After – Control – Impact (BACI) Collision Collision risk model Cumulative impacts Model Population Population Viability Analysis (PVA) Traumatic respiratory tract injury documented in some bat species as a result of sudden air pressure differential that may occur near moving wind turbine rotors. In the current context, a research protocol designed to permit comparison of bird or bat use of a wind farm site before and after the wind farm is established. The ‘control’ component entails use of another, comparable site where no wind farm is built and which acts as an experimental control throughout the process. Valid control sites are not usually available because wind farm sites are often large and contain complex habitat features so that sites with similar features that are truly comparable do not exist. It is also the case that birds and bats of concern are generally threatened species whose use of any given site is often unique. As a consequence, a more limited, but achievable, Before – After - Impact design may be applicable. As used here includes all causes of bird and bat deaths that may result from interactions with wind turbines. These include barotrauma, potential traumatic effects of turbulence caused by rotors, and direct collision strikes. A mathematical construct designed to predict a rate at which taxa of birds or bats might collide with wind turbines. Currently available collision risk models provide capacity to account for numerous variables of the flight characteristics of particular species and of the design of a wind farm. The combined effects on key bird or bat taxa of more than one wind energy facility. Any mathematical representation of events or processes in the real world. In the present context, models include those designed to explore possible risks such as those inherent in interactions between birds and bats and wind turbines and those that explore influences on, and effects of, the dynamics of animal populations. Models are ‘transparent’ in that the parameters, values and assumptions they make can be fully evaluated and readily adjusted to suit new or improved information. In these respects they are superior to their only alternative, which is subjective judgement. A group of animals that are part of a single gene-pool. For the purposes of the current context this will most often be the species or subspecies. ‘… a process of using species-specific data and models to evaluate the threats faced by species in terms of their risks of extinction or decline …’ (Akçakaya 2004). For wind farms it can be used to evaluate the potential influence on extinction risk for a population of animals of a quantified number of mortalities that might occur due to the wind farm. A pre- Page 136 Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010
equisite to undertaking PVA is a sound understanding of the demography of the population under consideration. Potential Biological Removal assessment (PBR) Qualitative Quantitative Taxon (plural: taxa) Utilisation A process to model the annual number of additional mortalities that a population can sustain (e.g. Dillingham & Fletcher 2008). Simpler, but potentially less sensitive and robust than PVA, PBR can function with less demographic information than PVA. Requisite inputs are just estimated population size, maximum annual recruitment rate and a number of additional mortalities - in this context, additional mortalities due to the wind farm. Relating to or based on the quality or character of something, as opposed to its size or numerical quantity. Relating to, measured, or measurable by size or numerical quantity. A name designating a group of biologically related organisms as a taxonomic unit (e.g. species, genus). The use of an area by a particular species expressed as quantified activity (for the purposes of collision risk, the number of flights) per unit of time and space. D.7 Technical discussion of key concepts/issues As outlined previously, it is not the intent of these Guidelines to be prescriptive about methodologies. Flexibility in specifics of research design and technologies that may be used to obtain the requisite data is vital to allow for particulars of taxa and sites and to permit adaptability to emerging technologies and techniques. The most important aspect is that bird and bat utilisation of various wind farm sites is quantified to standard measures and that appropriate statistical approaches and analyses are used. Peer review of study design and of its results should be provided by individuals with relevant expertise and knowledge of the standards to be achieved. This section is provided as an adjunct to the preceding discussion of assessment processes to provide examples of methods that may be employed for monitoring and collection of birds and bat data for wind farm assessments and as a guide to some further sources of relevant information. The first section may be applicable to birds and/or bats while the second section is specific to bats other than fruit bats (Pteropodidae). In a number of respects relevant to assessment of wind farms, the flight behaviours of fruit bats are more similar to those of crepuscular and nocturnal birds than they are to other bat taxa. It may be feasible to obtain information for fruit bats that permits risk to be assessed in a fashion similar to assessments for birds. This has been achieved for a wind farm development in Fiji (Smales 2005). D.7.1 Potential investigation & assessment methods Determining bird and bat utilisation rates Estimated annual number of flights by key species at risk of collision should be extrapolated from samples documenting numbers of flights within rotor-swept-height per unit time. Standard and replicable timed counts of bird flights should be documented from a series of locations across the site. The basis for this methodology is the Point Count (Reynolds et al. 1980). Standard texts outline the fundamentals and limitations of this technique (e.g. Bibby et al. 2000). Note that the technique is adapted from its original purpose of counting numbers of birds to the counting of bird movements. Locations of count sites should be selected to be representative of turbine sites. Counts should be made in all seasons in which the species may be present and at all times of the daily cycle and conditions in which birds might fly. Statistical power analysis is applicable to determine the appropriate number of count locations and of counts that will adequately detect and document variables of bird flights for a given site. Records should be collected that document the height above ground and horizontal distance of a bird from the observer at the instant Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010 Page 137
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EPHC National Wind Farm Development
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Acknowledgements These Guidelines h
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A.6.1 Site selection 28 A.6.2 Proje
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E.7 Technical discussion of key con
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The 20/20 target is challenging; ho
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Table 1-1 Elements of a ‘wind far
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2 Principles for responsible wind f
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3 Wind Farm Specific Issues The spe
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Specific noise limits are not provi
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3.5 Shadow flicker The issue Shadow
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Guidance notes Heritage issues are
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Table 4-1 Typical decision process
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The studies and community consultat
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A Community and Stakeholder Consult
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• Responsive There is a comm
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Figure A-1 IAP2 Public Participatio
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Specific components which should be
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Figure A-2 Example of Good Practice
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Recording the occurrence and outcom
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A.6.6 Decommissioning Planning & Co
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Potential Stakeholders Consultation
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B Noise B.1 Introduction This Appen
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the converse. These Guidelines reco
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The Standard should form the basis
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Stage and methodology Construction
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Other noise-sensitive uses such as
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Table B-2 Existing state and territ
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Establish background noise monitori
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As noted in Section 6.3.1 of AS4959
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predicted levels are significantly
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Prepare expert evidence (as require
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Undertake unattended monitoring to
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assessment of wind farm noise emiss
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B.4.5 Decommissioning Noise-related
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If a significant amount of time has
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B.7 Technical discussion of key con
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The HGC Engineering report 10 also
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C Landscape C.1 Introduction This A
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• Cumulative impacts “Cumulativ
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C.2 Overview of Methodologies Figur
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C.3 Task Methodologies C.3.1 Projec
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• State Relevant State herita
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The preliminary landscape character
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• Identifying and describing (in
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Advanced photomontages should also
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Page 97 and 98: C.4.2.4 Assessment of cumulative im
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Page 103 and 104: Table C-4 Mapping of landscape char
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Page 111 and 112: Figure C-4 Example of viewshed mapp
Page 113 and 114: Figure C-6 Example of photomontages
Page 115 and 116: communicate broad-scale ideas and p
Page 117 and 118: Table C-5 Mapping other wind farms
Page 119 and 120: C.7.9 Glossary & acronyms Australia
Page 121: Viewpoint The point from which a vi
Page 124 and 125: D.1.2 Underlying approach The under
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Page 130 and 131: D.4 Task methodologies D.4.1 Site S
Page 132 and 133: area as it was not collected accord
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Page 142 and 143: Searches for dead birds and bats ar
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Page 148 and 149: that it was first observed. Where m
Page 150 and 151: e the case that assessment for bats
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Page 154 and 155: Percival, S.M. 2003, Birds and wind
Page 157 and 158: E Shadow Flicker E.1 Introduction T
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Page 173: as the actual limit, rather than th
Page 176 and 177: likely to be obstructed. Radiocommu
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Page 180 and 181: Figure F-1 EMI mitigation methodolo
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Page 186 and 187: The near field zone can be calculat
Page 188 and 189: Develop mitigation strategy As a st
Page 190 and 191: aseline RF survey which involves th
Page 193 and 194: G Wind Farm Development Process G.1
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Preliminary Technical Studies Issue
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Planning application (PA2) The plan
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Develop mitigation strategy Finalis
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Environmental Management Plans Issu
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Monitoring: confirmation (O3) Confi
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Decommissioning (D2) Once a decisio
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Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

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