Cris Hein is a senior project leader for the environmental portfolio. Hein has studied bat behavior and ecology for more than two decades and wind energy and wind energy issues for more than one decade. His research focuses on developing strategies to monitor and minimize wildlife interactions with wind turbines. He is the program coordinator for the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative and the operating agent for the International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaborative Program's Task 34-Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy. Prior to NREL, he was the bats and wind energy program director for Bat Conservation International.

Research Interests

Wind energy and wildlife interactions

Bat ecology and behavior

Education

Ph.D., Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia

M.S., Biology, Texas State University

B.S., Geology, Texas A&M University

Featured Work

Impacts to Wildlife of Wind Energy Siting and Operation in the United States, Issues in Ecology (2019)

First Direct Evidence of Long-distance Seasonal Movements and Hibernation in a Migratory Bat, Scientific Reports (2016)

Behavior of Bats at Wind Turbines, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2014)

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Ultrasonic Acoustic Deterrent for Reducing Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines, PLOS One (2013)