Iberdrola studies bats

SOMERSET, Pa., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Spanish firm Iberdrola Renewables announced it will study wind's effects on bats in Pennsylvania.

The study is the first to be conducted by a company in the wind power industry. Iberdrola said it will work with Bat Conservation International to study the interaction between bats and wind turbines.

The controlled experiment will be done at the Casselman Wind Power Project, where the turbines will be stopped during certain wind conditions. This represents the first U.S.-based effort to study the effects of shutting down turbines on reducing bat deaths.

Iberdrola has said it wants to do all that it can to be a "responsible steward of the environment."

The results of the study will be made available by the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative, a joint venture between the American Wind Energy Association and BCI.