Quick Link: “Alcatraz Solar Isn’t For The Birds (But They Like It)”
When the National Park Service decided to install solar panels on Alcatraz, there were some issues to consider that most places don’t need to deal with. Where could the panels go, so that they wouldn’t disrupt visitors’ experience of the foggy prison island, for one. That was resolved by putting them on the roof of the cellhouse, out of view.
Another was, how would the solar panels affect the island’s birds? According to this article from Earth Techling, initially there was some concern that the panels would scare the birds, but that hasn’t ended up being the problem.
It was no easy task getting a thousand or so solar panels past preservationists PO’d at the idea of PV on the iconic Alcatraz penitentiary – and now that the modules are up and operating, there’s the challenge of keeping the bird poop off them.
Read more at: www.earthtechling.com
About the author
Molly Samuel joined KQED as an intern in 2007, and since then has worked here as a reporter, producer, director and blogger. Before becoming KQED Science’s Multimedia Producer, she was a producer for Climate Watch. Molly has also reported for NPR, KALW and High Country News, and has produced audio stories for The Encyclopedia of Life and the Oakland Museum of California. She was a fellow with the Middlebury Fellowships in Environmental Journalism and a journalist-in-residence at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center. Molly has a degree in Ancient Greek from Oberlin College and is a co-founder of the record label True Panther Sounds. View all posts by Molly Samuel →
