Like so many others at Iberdrola Renewables, wind energy has become my life’s work. I came to it from a career working air quality issues, and from that I knew the status quo of conventional energy production was detrimental to wildlife and human health issues. I joined the wind energy industry to become part of the solution to those challenges, and have had the honor of carrying on the critically important environmental work begun at this company by the late Andy Linehan.
To do this work is an honor in itself, and to receive the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) Andrew Linehan Award for Environmental Excellence for my efforts is doubly rewarding. AWEA is a trade association that represents hundreds of wind energy advocates from around the world. AWEA established the Award for Environmental Excellence in honor of Andy Linehan in 2010, after Andy succumbed to a long battle with cancer. The award recognizes individuals in the wind industry “who contribute to the responsible siting and permitting of individual projects, who tackle wildlife issues proactively and who work to establish and advance, as Andy did, the highest environmental standards for the industry.”
Andy was never one to call attention to his good work, though others could not help but notice his tireless commitment to reduce wind energy’s impact on wildlife. Andy was the catalyst for Iberdrola Renewables’ voluntarily adopting our Avian and Bat Protection Policy. This groundbreaking plan remains a point of quiet pride for Iberdrola Renewables, and symbolizes Andy’s personality. It wasn’t required of us; it was simply the right thing to do.
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It is critically important that we demonstrate to the world that wind is a truly greenest energy source, and I’m pleased we are making great strides in that direction. Since I joined the company in 2010, I have seen the Avian and Bat Protection Policy implemented across the entire wind fleet, we’ve completed a three-year radar monitoring study of migratory bird and bat use at the Peñascal wind facility in Texas, and continued a nine-year study of increasing the presence of prairie chickens at the operating Elk River wind facility in Kansas.
As we collect more data from our studies and technology evolves, Iberdrola Renewables will continue to find ways to reduce wind’s impact on birds and bats. This work is not something we’re required to do, but we believe it’s the right thing to do. I am grateful to AWEA for honoring this work. It’s a symbol of the hard work we’ve put in and the hard work we have yet to do.
