There isn’t much room for other major developments on ground-mounted solar sites once a system is in place and running. One solution developers are putting into practice is planting pollinator-friendly vegetation and placing hives to encourage bees and other pollinating insects to visit solar project sites.
Bees and other pollinating species play an integral role in food production through pollination — not even including creating honey — with an estimated 35% of crop growth relying on them. The bee population is falling year-over-year, and one way to help out is by planting pollinator-friendly vegetation. Here are seven examples of that in solar projects.
Pine Gate Renewables’ 9.9-MW Eagle Point solar farm in Jackson County, Oregon turned 41 acres of land into a pollinator-friendly habitat. The dual-use solar farm is home to 48 honeybee hives that were placed on the edge of the site by the Southern Oregon Beekeepers Association. Credit: Pine Gate Renewables
Sun Tribe installed a ground-mounted solar system for Cople Elementary School in Westmoreland County, Virginia, that accounts for 100% of campus electricity needs. The 2,100-panel array earned the state’s first Gold Certified Pollinator Smart Project label for its pollinator-friendly vegetation, grass diversity, vegetation management, seed mix and opportunities it incorporates in the classroom. Credit: Sun Tribe
Solaris Energy and Namasté Solar put a 1-MW solar array in at Fort Collins, Colorado, dubbed the “Solinator Garden.” A pollinator garden was planted along the perimeter of the system, and grass seed with a flowering seed mix was spread throughout the site. Credit: Solaris Energy
Ideal Energy installed a 1.1-MW solar + storage system at the Maharishi University of Management in Iowa in 2019, which brought the school’s total renewable energy coverage to 43%. Upon completion of the project, the land the five-acre array resides on was seeded with plants to attract pollinators. Credit: Ideal Energy
Silicon Ranch and Walton Electric Membership Corporation completed a 102.5-MWac solar project in Early County, Georgia --- its sole offtaker is Facebook’s Newton Data Center. The single-axis tracking, 350,000-module system covers 1,200 acres of land that is being holistically managed, hosting adaptively-managed livestock and pollinator habitat. Credit: Silicon Ranch
Bees residing on the Underhill Community Solar Farm in Poughkeepsie, New York, produce honey that is used in Plan Bee Farms & Brewery’s craft beer. The farm and brewery is subscribed to Clearway Energy Group’s community solar system and wanted to highlight the sustainability of locally-produced food and beverages. Credit: Clearway Energy Group
Cypress Creek Renewables completed Bogart Solar, a 3-MW community solar project in Greene County, New York in Feb. 2020. The company has plans to plant a 2.5-acre habitat for pollinators on the site in Spring 2020. Credit: Cypress Creek Renewables
Great to see all these projects. Join the conversation on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12272455/
I think the concept of dual-use farmland is great. Whether it’s pollinator fields/solar fields or grazing fields for sheep/solar fields, I’m all in. Please see my Linkedin page: Farm the Sun™, Holliston, MA.
Billy, this is an excellent article!
1. It’s very important to be able to work with nature as we are trying to save nature for future generations. In other words, it’s more than just installing equipment.
2. I think now is the time to deploy solar energy and storage systems are more installed with style, kindness, and caring for each other and the planet by helping out by planting pollinator-friendly vegetation.
I’m looking forward to more articles?