Solar Powered Heaters May Save Bats
Bats are interesting creatures: they are mammals that fly. Bat populations are declining worldwide. This steady decline has scientists curious about why and experimenting with various ways to reverse this trend. One of these ways may be using solar powered heaters.
First, there are some intriguing facts about bats that bear considering. For example, did you know that if you’re an organic coffee drinker, it’s likely that bats played a positive role in keeping those organic coffee plants bug-free and healthy? In an article for Treehugger, Michael Graham Richard says that although birds have gotten most of the credit for eating the bugs that might infest coffee plants at organic coffee plantations where pesticides are banned, it seems that bats deserve more of the credit.
A study from the University of Michigan has shown that during the summer wet season, bats eat more bugs than the birds at Finca Irlanda, a 740-acre organic coffee plantation in Chiapas, Mexico. Richard titles his article Thank Your Lucky Bat for Shade-Grown Organic Coffee, and claims that, “This is just one example of a great ‘ecological service’ that went unnoticed until now. How many more do we benefit from without realizing it? Sadly, bat populations are declining worldwide, and the small flying mammals never got the love they deserve.”
In another Treehugger article about bats, we learn that in the northeastern United States and Canada, more than 80% of the deaths in several bat populations have been caused by a fungus – indirectly. Writer Jaymi Heimbuch says, “Scientists haven’t figured out a way to stop it from spreading, but they have figured out a likely reason bats are dying from the fungus. And that’s led them to devise heater boxes run on solar panels and car batteries that could save the lives of bats.”
Heimbuch continues, “Scientists hypothesize that bat deaths from the fungus are caused by them being roused during hibernation. When they wake up, they fly to warm spots to heat up again before settling back down into hibernation mode. That causes them to use up calories they can’t afford to lose, and they end up starving to death.”
An experiment using solar powered heaters is now underway with an Indiana State University research team that is testing their theory that keeping bats warm during their hibernation cycle may save bats’ lives. The team, headed by Justin Boyles, has created heater boxes – basically insulated bird houses that have heaters running off solar powered car batteries. “The idea is that the bats can use this to warm up and won’t need to burn energy flying to find a warm place.”
This experiment is a notable example of creative utilization of solar power – designed to keep bats healthy and providing their “ecological services.”
Posted on March 19th in Solar News by Euphrasia.