Pollinators in a solar farm.
CREDIT: Solar Energy UK & Sarah Cheesbrough
Researchers assessing the impact of solar energy development across Europe have come up with ten ways in which the expansion of solar can be shaped to ensure pollinators benefit.
Researchers assessing the impact of solar energy development across Europe have come up with ten ways in which the expansion of solar can be shaped to ensure pollinators benefit.
Space-hungry solar photovoltaic (PV) is set to dominate future global electricity supply, but with careful decision making, efforts to secure clean energy need not come at the expense of biodiversity – particularly pollinators which are in sharp decline.
Bees, hoverflies, wasps, beetles, butterflies and moths play a key role in food production, with around 75% of the leading global food crops and 35% of global crop production relying on them to some extent.
Writing in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, a Lancaster-led team of environmental scientists systematically reviewed the available evidence on how land management practices relating to solar parks in North West Europe could enhance pollinator biodiversity.
Along with colleagues from the University of Reading, they highlighted ten evidence-based ways to protect and even enhance pollinator biodiversity ranging from sowing wildflowers to connecting solar parks to nearby areas of semi-natural habitat.
Their findings are timely as, in a bid to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, more power is being generated from renewable sources – at the beginning of 2020 a record breaking 47% of the UK’s electricity came from renewables, including wind, solar, hydro, wave and biomass.
Solar parks can produce large amounts of power, with the UK’s largest solar park set to power 91,000 homes once complete. But, solar parks also take up land, with potential impacts on the environment. In the UK approximately half of PV has been installed as ground-mounted solar parks, ranging in size from 1-40 hectares.
Shading caused by rows of solar panels affects air temperature, rainfall and evaporation which has a knock on effect on soil, vegetation and biodiversity.
However, in the UK solar parks are often built in intensively managed agricultural landscapes and thus are poor for biodiversity. In this scenario, solar parks may in fact provide opportunities to establish hotspots of pollinator biodiversity which in turn can help pollinate local crops such as oilseed, strawberries and apples.
Lancaster University’s Hollie Blaydes said: “Many pollinators are in decline both in the UK and in other parts of the world. Actions to conserve pollinators include reversing agricultural intensification and maintaining natural habitat, both of which can be achieved within solar parks. Often built amongst agricultural land, solar parks offer a unique opportunity to provide pollinator resources where they are most needed.”
Prof Simon Potts, University of Reading, said: “As well as promoting biodiversity, pollinator-friendly solar parks also have the potential to provide tangible economic benefits to farmers through enhancing pollination services to adjacent agricultural land, boosting crop yields.
“Imagine a world where solar parks not only produced much needed low carbon electricity but were also diverse and attractive wildflower meadows buzzing with insect life.”
Dr Alona Armstrong, Lancaster University Environment Centre said: “Land use change for solar parks could cause further degradation of our environment but, if done well, offers much potential to improve our environment. If we transition well, we could use energy system decarbonisation to also address the ecological crisis. Given where we are, can we afford not to?”
Original Article: Ten ways to ensure bees benefit from the solar power boom
More from: Lancaster University | University of Reading
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Solar energy development
- Colorado lawmakers scale back legislation to limit local control over renewable energy projects
A new bill introduced in the Colorado Senate last week cautiously wades into a growing debate over community opposition to utility-scale wind and solar projects. An early version of the legislation ...
- A strategy to boost the efficiency of perovskite/organic solar cells
This strategy, introduced in Nature Energy, entails the use of a pseudo-triple ... the researchers applied it to the development of a perovskite/organic tandem solar cells. In these initial tests, ...
- Wind and solar in limbo: Long waitlists to get on the grid are a ‘leading barrier’
Ninety miles west of Chicago, the corn and soybean fields stretch to the sky, and dreams of the clean energy future dangle — just out of reach.
- China drives down cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar power development
China’s large-scale development of solar power, coupled with continuous innovation and a complete industrial chain, is driving down production costs and making new energy products more affordable ...
- As solar capacity grows, some of America's most productive farmland is at risk
Dave Duttlinger's first thought when he saw a dense band of yellowish-brown dust smearing the sky above his Indiana farm was: I warned them this would happen.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Solar energy development
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar energy development” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Benefiting pollinators
- Chaotic might be good
Usually, chaos is not a good thing, but if you are looking for a more laid-back approach to gardening, it just might be for you. The chaos gardening trend is here, even receiving honorable mentions at ...
- Protect The Pollinators: Reuse Old Soup Cans To Make A Bee Hotel
Entice solitary bees to your yard by constructing a bee hotel with reused soup cans. This simple DIY craft project is a great way to protect pollinators.
- 'No Mow May' eases to 'Less Mow May' in some Twin Cities suburbs
Rosemount, Roseville and New Brighton, among others, advocate mowing less but not abstaining entirely in the spring to help support pollinator-friendly plants as they move from "No Mow May" to "Less ...
- Top 5 Perennial Plants for a Pollinator-Friendly Landscape
To protect these vulnerable species we can add perennial plants to our outdoor spaces that are proven to attract and benefit pollinators of all kinds. Read on below to discover five perennial ...
- Exploring eco-friendly lawns: Saving time, money and benefiting pollinators
With the recent rain falls and the upcoming rain later this week lawns are finally starting to look green again --But the ongoing drought over the last few year ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Benefiting pollinators
[google_news title=”” keyword=”benefiting pollinators” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]