Solar farms could help address the by providing habitats and food for wildlife, according to research gathered by a new project.
by the Universities of Lancaster and York found evidence from 450 peer-reviewed papers for actions solar farm owners can take to benefit nature, such as planting and maintaining hedgerows.
鈥淭here is limited research on the impacts of solar parks, hence the tool,鈥� says Alona Armstrong of Lancaster University, who developed it with the solar industry, plus conservation groups, ecologists, landowners and the UK鈥檚 National Farmers鈥� Union.
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鈥淪hort of setting aside land for conservation, land use change for solar parks arguably offers more potential than any other land use change to deliver much needed natural capital and ecosystem service benefits,鈥� says Armstrong in a report published today by the
Ponds and hedgerows
聽offers an example of what is possible.聽Ponds have been retained, hedgerows planted, bat and bird boxes installed and wildflowers sown.
The STA says the UK has just over 1000 solar parks, estimated to collectively take up 13,749 hectares, or 0.06 per cent of total UK land area 鈥� the same amount as ports. The STA adds that the temporary nature of ground-mounted solar panels means the land use is almost always 鈥渃ompletely reversible鈥�.
But about the next generation of solar farms, which will likely be much bigger to make the economics work. will have more than five times the capacity of the UK鈥檚 current biggest one, and cover the equivalent of 400 football pitches.
The Wildlife Trusts, which , says it assesses solar parks on a case-by-case basis. Solar is attractive because it has no moving parts and therefore little risk to wildlife, says Sue Young at the group. On the other hand, in sensitive locations it can 鈥渞educe the suitability of habitats for key species鈥�, she says.
Joining up habitats
Nicholas Gall of the STA argues there is no inherent reason the nature benefits from smaller solar farms will not remain the same for larger ones, and says they could even help join up wildlife habitats.
But given many solar farms have changed hands in the past three years, what if well-intentioned developers give way to less responsible owners? Ray Noble of the Renewable Energy Association says some ministers 鈥渙ur green and pleasant land would become industrial jungles of solar鈥� and developers would walk away after making their returns, 鈥渓eaving fields full of broken glass and twisted metal.鈥� But time has shown that concern to be unfounded, he says, and the STA notes ownership is now much more stable.
Later this year Armstrong and the University of Reading hope to publish research quantifying the ecological and economic value of installing honeybee hives across all the solar farms in England.
