Wildlife & Wind Energy Webinar Series: Economics of Wind Energy: Understanding wildlife minimization in the context of development and financing

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Defenders of Wildlife hosted a free, nine-part webinar series, Wildlife & Wind Energy Webinar Series: Considerations for Monitoring and Managing Impacts, between August and November 2020. All webinars were recorded and are available on Tethys.

Webinar #8: Economics of Wind Energy: Understanding wildlife minimization in the context of development and financing

What do project financing, power purchasing agreements, and business expense categorizations have to do with wildlife? Wind energy development financing and contracting are intertwined with opportunities to invest in wildlife avoidance, minimization and compensatory mitigation, yet the complexities of financing and developing a wind energy project are complicated and poorly understood outside of the industry. Experts from Invenergy, DNV GL, and Pattern provided an overview of the process of securing financing, budgeting, and contracting for wind development and operation. Additionally, speakers discussed how the financing process relates to the adoption of minimization strategies and conservation investments. This understanding can inform permitting and maximize conservation from wind energy assets.