WREN: Wind Energy-Environmental Research & Engagement Network

Objectives

The global operation and deployment of wind energy can cause persistent environmental effects resulting in delayed permitting, reduced energy generation by curtailing wind turbines during times of collision risk, and the cancellation of projects. Thus, fostering the coexistence of wind energy and environmental conservation remains a priority for private industry, regulatory agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers. Because most of the impacted species, habitats, and ecosystem processes span multiple jurisdictional boundaries, knowledge transfer among international partners is essential to identify, validate, and implement cost-effective solutions.

WREN continues to lead outreach and engagement activities to ensure that relevant, science-based information is available to interested parties. The objectives for Task 59 are to 1) manage WREN content on the Tethys website, 2) foster transdisciplinary research by increasing collaboration with other IEA Wind tasks and external organizations, 3) synthesize and disseminate the state of the science, and 4) broaden international collaboration.

Participation

Progress, Results, and Impact in 2025

The nearly 3-year collaboration with Task 62 has resulted in a better understanding of the importance of environmental and social sciences to successful community and regulatory acceptance of wind energy projects. Participants mentioned the importance of making projects accessible throughout the full development pathway, not only at formal, legally required consultations. They also cautioned against assuming a single engagement model will work for every community. Communities differ in history, values, capacity, and concerns, so engagement should be tailored rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Developers can strengthen engagement by bringing in specialists to connect with communities, and by integrating social and ecological considerations together rather than separate workstreams. The feedback from participants across several in-person and virtual workshops, including the 2025 workshop in France (Figure 1), will be the basis for an upcoming report.

WREN produced a synthesis, "Bat behavior in relation to wind turbines: attraction hypotheses and avoidance behaviors" [1], summarizing the state of the science on how different species of bats respond to the presence of wind farms. Understanding these interactions can help optimize new or existing mitigation strategies to reduce impacts.

To address knowledge gaps related to the impacts of wind energy on species that migrate across multiple countries and continents in the Western Hemisphere, WREN released a synthesis, "Impact of wind energy on flying wildlife in leading wind energy producing countries of Latin America: Challenges and priorities" [2]. The brief was disseminated in Spanish and English.

WREN has developed and maintained tools to inform interested parties on the permitting status of wind energy projects and the tools used to evaluate the environmental effects of wind energy. In 2025, the number of wind farms represented on the Offshore Wind Environmental Metadata webpage increased by 10 for a total of 41 sites. In the past year, the Wind Energy Monitoring and Mitigation Technologies Tool added 10 entries and now includes 110 technologies with their associated publications.

Next Steps

In partnership with Task 62 (CYCLEWIND), WREN will assess pathways to incorporate wildlife impacts into life cycle impact assessments. The tasks are planning a public webinar and two workshops for spring 2026.

WREN is hosting a three-part webinar series on the effectiveness of the mitigation hierarchy with speakers from industry, government agencies, and research institutions. The series is planned for spring 2026.

Several research briefs will be released in 2026 that focus on the influence of bird physiology and behavior on collision and displacement risk (Figure 2), impact of wind energy on reindeer, and the effect of wind farms on ecosystems.

References

1. Munter, L., and C. Hein (2025). Bat behavior in relation to wind turbines: attraction hypotheses and avoidance behaviors. https://tethys.pnnl.gov/summaries/bat-behavior-relation-wind-turbines-attraction-hypotheses-avoidance-behaviors.
2. Rivera, M., N. Rebolo, R. Rodriguez, and S. White-Murillo (2025). Impact of wind energy on flying wildlife in leading wind energy producing countries of Latin America: challenges and priorities. https://tethys.pnnl.gov/summaries/impact-wind-energy-flying-wildlife-leading-wind-energy-producing-countries-latin-america