Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • SPW State News Hub
      • IRA/HR1 coverage
      • Solar tariffs
      • U.S. manufacturing updates
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Contractor’s Corner
      • Trends in Solar
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Policy
    • The Solar Policy Scoop
    • IRA/HR1 Coverage
  • Markets
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Community Solar
    • Utility
  • Products
    • Winners of SPW’s 2024 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Electric Vehicle (EV)
    • Inverters
      • U.S. solar inverter manufacturers
    • Racking and Mounting
      • U.S. solar mounting manufacturers
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
  • Resources
    • About SPW
    • Digital Issues
    • Event Coverage
    • Podcasts
    • Product Manufacturing Locations
      • U.S. solar inverter manufacturers
      • U.S. solar mounting manufacturers
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
    • Solar Classrooms
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Pine Gate Renewables and The Nature Conservancy test wildlife-permeable fencing for solar plants

By Kelsey Misbrener | February 7, 2019

Share

Page Solar

Pine Gate Renewables and The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) North Carolina Chapter are collaborating to develop and test innovative practices to make Pine Gate solar sites more wildlife friendly. Pine Gate installed wildlife-friendly fencing on two Pine Gate solar sites in North Carolina in 2018, which is the first time this practice has been implemented in the state. The fencing has larger holes at the bottom to allow critters such as rabbits, squirrels and raccoons to pass through. Pine Gate and TNC will monitor the fencing to determine its effectiveness. Cameras were installed for monitoring by TNC in late January 2019.

This collaboration between Pine Gate and TNC stemmed from their mutual involvement in the North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance (NCPCA), a larger group of conservation organizations and private entities working to support the health and diversity of pollinators in the state. Pine Gate Renewables became involved in the NCPCA through its SolarCulture initiative, which focuses on enhancing environmental stewardship on its solar projects.

“We want to help advance the clean energy economy in a way that has as little impact on wildlife as possible. Fencing around solar sites can present a barrier for wildlife movement. We appreciate Pine Gate’s leadership in implementing and testing innovative solar farm design practices and hope that through our monitoring we can provide evidence that these practices really do work,” says Liz Kalies, director of science of the NC chapter of TNC. “We think this can serve as a great example for other solar developers who also want to maximize benefits to wildlife.”

Page Solar

The test sites were specifically chosen for wildlife-permeable fencing due to their proximity to sizeable areas of forestlands, where a higher diversity of species and their habitat are located as compared to sites that are surrounded by agricultural land, roads, or other development.

“We are pleased to be working with The Nature Conservancy and providing them two of their first solar facilities in North Carolina to conduct wildlife monitoring activities,” said Claudia Weeks, Pine Gate’s site operations manager. “Through Pine Gate’s SolarCulture initiative, we are constantly exploring opportunities to further support the surrounding environment to our sites, and we believe wildlife permeable fencing will be a valuable tool in this effort.”

News item from Pine Gate Renewables

About The Author

Kelsey Misbrener

Kelsey Misbrener is currently managing editor of Solar Power World and has been reporting on policy, technology and other areas of the U.S. solar market since 2017.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

Related Articles Read More >

Enphase now shipping batteries with higher domestic content
Primergy powers up 408-MW Ash Creek Solar project in Texas
Solar policy report finds numerous net-metering, community solar updates in Q2 2025
New AD/CVD investigation launched on solar panels from India, Indonesia and Laos
Solar Power World Digital Edition
Check in with the nation's leading solar construction magazine today.
 
“the-informed-solar-installer”
“solar
“spw
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Solar Power Professionals.

Contractor’s Corner Podcast

“solar
Solar Power World
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Solar Articles
  • Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Leadership
  • About/Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising
  • WTWH Media

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • SPW State News Hub
      • IRA/HR1 coverage
      • Solar tariffs
      • U.S. manufacturing updates
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Contractor’s Corner
      • Trends in Solar
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Policy
    • The Solar Policy Scoop
    • IRA/HR1 Coverage
  • Markets
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Community Solar
    • Utility
  • Products
    • Winners of SPW’s 2024 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Electric Vehicle (EV)
    • Inverters
      • U.S. solar inverter manufacturers
    • Racking and Mounting
      • U.S. solar mounting manufacturers
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
  • Resources
    • About SPW
    • Digital Issues
    • Event Coverage
    • Podcasts
    • Product Manufacturing Locations
      • U.S. solar inverter manufacturers
      • U.S. solar mounting manufacturers
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
    • Solar Classrooms
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers
    • Voices
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe