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Posted by on Mar 25, 2017 in TellMeWhy |

Why All Wind Turbines Should Be Painted Purple?

Why All Wind Turbines Should Be Painted Purple?

Why All Wind Turbines Should Be Painted Purple? A study has revealed that a wind turbine’s color affects how many insects it attracts, shedding more light on why the turbines occasionally kill bats and birds. Scientists say that turbines, most commonly painted white or grey, draw in insects. These then lure bats and birds – as they pursue their prey – into the path of the turbine blades.

Wind turbines should be painted purple to save the lives of thousands of bats and birds which are killed by them each year, claim scientists. Boffins from Loughborough University say the current white color of the distinctive looking wind turbines attracts insects. This in turn is said to attract larger predators which can easily get caught near the spinning blades and are killed by a sudden change in air pressure causing their blood vessels to burst.

Support for the idea comes from another study showing that bats are most often killed by turbines at night and in summer, when insects are most abundant. After a series of tests the team concluded white, light grey and yellow were the colors which attracted the most insects while purple saw the fewest. The least attractive paint color to insects was purple. That does not necessarily mean that all wind turbines should be painted that color, say the researchers.

But it does imply that changing a turbine’s color could have. What color would you like to see the wind turbines painted? We think a psychedelic rainbow effect could brighten up our countryside. A spokesperson for the study said: “Our major conclusion from this work is that turbine paint color could be having a significant impact on the attraction of insect species to the structure, both during the day and at night.”

Content for this question contributed by Matthew Pearce, resident of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA