The unseen cost of solar energy

By Isaac Rath and Katie Milesky

Photos by Isaac Rath

Don’t get me wrong - I think solar energy is great. It’s a sustainable, renewable resource and worlds less damaging than fossil fuels on the environment. However, it would be ignorant to not share the incidents in which it shows itself to be less than ideal, which is why I am sharing this story. In November, while conducting surveys at a solar facility in Nevada, I came across something that was pretty upsetting. A beautiful red-tailed hawk in the prime of its life, severely injured on the ground. (Note: The head photograph of this article is NOT of the injured red-tail, but of a Swainson’s Hawk.) Half of the bird had been terribly singed, leaving it unable to fly. I’m not sure if he was just passing through on migration or if he was a local, but this was likely going to be the end for him.

At this solar facility, there aren't thousands of solar panels. Instead, it’s thousands of mirrors that reflect sunlight up to a tower. In the afternoon, the tower is lit up as bright as the sun. The nearly invisible beams of concentrated energy can cause a hazard for wildlife, especially raptors who soar high in the sky and occasionally cross the beam's path - which is why they contract with wildlife biologists to study the effects on local wildlife.

When a bird’s feathers are singed, it can take nearly a year for them to fully regrow. The bird is very vulnerable during this time and is going to need constant care and protection, as it cannot fend for itself. It’s even worse if the burns extend beyond the feathers to the skin, as that can significantly hinder the regrowth process. 

I wasn’t going to just leave this guy there without trying everything in my power to help him, so I gathered him up in my sweatshirt and abandoned my surveys for the rest of the day to drive him two and half hours away to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation center. The staff took him in and tried all they could, but before I had even returned to the facility later that day, they called to inform me that he did not make it.

This experience served as a devastating reminder that though uncommon, there are hidden dangers solar facilities can pose to wildlife. There is now and will always be a need for innovative solutions or safeguards to help protect these animals as they try their best to navigate a world that has been largely altered by human activity.