Connexus Energy of Minnesota and the National Renewable Energy Lab are working together in an experimental program that may boost the output of solar power plants. Borrowing an idea that is popular in the UK, Connexus is planting prairie grasses and flowers under and around the solar panels at one of its solar and storage facilities. Credit: Connexus Energy Pollinator-friendly plantings at large solar energy sites have become common in Minnesota in recent years, according to Minnesota Public Radio . Not only do they provide a habitat where bees and butterflies can thrive, they also promote soil health and may increase the solar panels’ electricity output on warm days. The National Renewable Energy Lab is using the Ramsey Renewable Station and a couple dozen other sites around the country to test pollinator plantings. “Their hypothesis is that thicker vegetation under and around solar panels creates a cooler microclimate, which actually generates more electricity from the panels,” said Rob Davis, who directs the Center for Pollinators in Energy at the Minnesota advocacy group Fresh Energy. Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, says it will now require solar developers to include plans for similar plantings. Davis says the Ramsey Renewable Station […]
Latest Articles
Cabbage-Growing Experiment Shows Human Waste Can be Good to Use as Fertiliser
Takeaways: New research has shown that using fertilizers from human waste can be as productive as conventional organic ones.
Scientists studied a crop of...
Mercedes-Benz Becomes First Stadium in the World to Earn Platinum Certification for Zero Waste
Takeaways: The Mercedes-Benz Stadium has become the first professional sports stadium in the world to be awarded the Total Resource Use and Efficiency Platinum...
Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is the Future of Tiny Living.
Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is the Future of Tiny Living. Float Anywhere; this Solar-Powered Houseboat is...
Biodiversity: Fungi are ‘Underloved and Understudied’
Takeaways: The vast majority of fungi in the world are harmless to humans and animals and are often beneficial.
The Saprophytic fungi, for example,...
The Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for February 6, 2023
The Top 5 Happy Eco News Stories for February 6, 2023 Thanks for reading the Top 5 Happy Eco News! This week, we have two guest...
Baby Seals Spotted in Record Numbers on Norfolk Coast
Takeaways: A record number of baby seals have been spotted on a five-mile stretch off the coast in Norfolk.
3796 seal pups have been...