00:00Bats might not have the best reputation, but they're actually great for the environment,
00:08and for us.
00:09Bats eat night-time insects like mosquitoes and prevent their populations from getting
00:13out of control.
00:14However, despite our need to move away from fossil fuels and focus more on renewables
00:17like solar energy, it turns out solar farms might be affecting their communities.
00:22Professor of Biological Sciences at Bristol University, Gareth Jones, writes for The Conversation
00:27Bat populations are dwindling around solar farms.
00:30Six of the eight species identified in the study area were less active around the farms,
00:34with one particular species showing a 40% drop in activity in the areas immediately
00:38surrounding them, but a massive 80% drop in activity over the solar farm itself.
00:43Experts aren't exactly sure why solar farms might be reducing bat activity, but the leading
00:48theories are that they either reduce insect numbers, or the solar panels themselves might
00:52affect the bats' echolocation and sonar capabilities, as flat surfaces are known to reflect the
00:57sound away from the bats, making the area seem empty.
01:00Still, Professor Jones adds, it's not just solar farms.
01:03A study from 2012 estimated that likely around 888,000 bats had been killed to date by wind
01:10farms as well.
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