Birds reported to have caught fire during tests at Crescent Dunes

What happened

Biologists were reported to have said that 130 birds caught fire in mid-air, or were injured, while entering concentrated solar energy at the 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nevada. The figure relates to tests that began on 14 January 2015, not to one dated event. In one test, one third of the project's about 10,000 mirrors were aimed at a point about 1,200 feet above the ground, and the first so-called streamer was noticed within about an hour and a half.

The plant focuses sunlight on a central tower to melt salt and raise steam. SolarReserve, named as the owner, said testing was halted, fewer mirrors were later aimed at the focal point, and one avian fatality was attributed to the facility over 30 days of commissioning.

Contributing factors

Experts were reported to believe the birds may have been attracted by the glow of the tower. The test created a concentrated flux field above the tower. No further cause is established in this report.

Lessons learned

1. Limit the number of mirrors aimed above the receiver during commissioning of a solar power tower while wildlife risk is assessed.
2. Halt testing when avian injuries occur and review the method before continuing.
3. Record mitigation steps that reduce further casualties and share them with other tower projects.

Not yet known

• Turbine or receiver model and age
• Duration of downtime
• Cost of the damage

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

dailymail.com