Tethys is an internationally recognized and trusted broker of information on the environmental effects of wind energy. After twelve years of operation, Tethys hosts over 4,700 documents relevant to wind energy and serves as a collaborative space and dissemination platform for several ongoing U.S. and international research efforts.
To help users discover and navigate the resources available on Tethys, the Wind Energy page has been redesigned to highlight key features, such as the Knowledge Base, Map Viewer, and Tethys Blast. The new Wind Energy page also showcases three wind energy research efforts supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, so it’s now easier than ever to explore these efforts, their outcomes, and related resources.
New to Tethys, the Enabling Coexistence Options for Wind Energy and Wildlife (ECO Wind) project, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with support from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, supports efforts to reduce wildlife impacts at land-based wind energy facilities with monitoring and minimization technology solutions. Through research, outreach, and engagement, ECO Wind works to close knowledge gaps, support collaborative organizations, and disseminate information to key stakeholder groups. ECO Wind focuses its activities on three receptors of concern to the land-based wind energy community: bats, eagles, and grouse.
Another recent addition to Tethys, the U.S. Offshore Wind Synthesis of Environmental Effects Research (SEER) effort aims to synthesize key issues and disseminate existing knowledge about the environmental effects of offshore wind, inform applicability to U.S. waters, and prioritize future research needs. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory are jointly leading the effort, and will begin releasing research briefs, disseminating findings via a webinar series, and publishing research recommendations later this year. Through significant stakeholder outreach and engagement efforts, a set of research topics was identified that cover a range of stressor/receptor interactions, technology considerations, and cross-cutting themes that are pertinent to offshore wind development on both the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.
Finally, Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy (WREN), a task established by the International Energy Agency, facilitates international collaboration and advances global understanding of the potential environmental effects of both land-based and offshore wind energy. The U.S. leads this effort, with support from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Over the years, WREN has published numerous white papers and short science summaries, which seek to summarize the current state of the science on interactions between wind energy and wildlife, such as the European grouse and white stork. WREN also hosts webinars to disseminate new information to a large international audience, the most recent of which focused on raptor behavior and physiology as it relate to wind energy development.
By ensuring that data and information curated and synthesized through these research efforts are widely available, Tethys facilitates the knowledge sharing needed to advance the wind energy industry’s development in an environmentally responsible manner.