Agricultural land and renewable energy co-existing
Scientists with the U.S Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory have found that planting farmland under solar panels with native wildflowers and grasses can increase the population of native insects, birds, and bees.
The downsides of solar power
While solar power energy continues to grow worldwide as a form of renewable energy, it has some environmental drawbacks. The manufacturing process requires the use of many resources, including vast amounts of water. The solar panels also include several hazardous materials, making them difficult to dispose of sustainably. Additionally, because of the amount of space solar panels require, it can cause land use and habitat loss.
Agricultural land and renewable energy co-existing
It isn’t all bad news; there is an opportunity for agricultural land and renewable energy co-existing. Over a five-year period, the researchers from this study examined two southern Minnesota solar sites that were built on former agricultural land.
The two sites were planted with flowering plants and native grasses at the beginning of 2018. Each flower mix included several native forb species that flower in spring, early summer, and late summer. The researchers conducted 358 surveys to identify insect and plant diversity and abundance shifts.
After five years, the researchers noticed an increase in biodiversity and habitat measurements. They saw more flowers, native plant species and native pollinators. The total insect pollution had tripled, and there were 20 times more native bees. They observed a total of 729 native bees, which were found in Year 2 of the study. The most numerous insect groups they found were beetles, soldier beetles, Syrphid flies, and moths.
The researchers also found that the new pollinators were visiting neighbouring fields and were pollinating their soybean crops.
The power of Agricultural land and renewable energy co-existing
Combining solar panels with agriculture is not anything new. This is a process called agrivoltaics. As of March 2023, the National Renewable Energy Laborary identified 314 agrivoltaic projects in the United States. Most of these projects focused on grazing and pollinator habitat with relatively integrating crop production.
Agrivoltaics is important for several reasons. It allows for the dual use of land, which maximizes its productivity. Farmers can generate renewable energy without sacrificing valuable agricultural space.
The presence of solar panels can increase agricultural productivity by reducing water evaporation, decreasing temperature extremes and helping to create a more favourable environment for plant growth.
Solar sites that are habitat-friendly can assist with the mitigation of land-use conflicts that can arise when farmland must be converted for solar production. These projects also receive more favourable responses from local communities.
Finally, combining solar energy with agricultural land can benefit farmers because they can diversify their sources of income, meaning in addition to their agricultural products, they can earn income from selling the electricity generated by the solar panels.
There is no sign of solar panels disappearing, especially as we move away from fossil fuel energy and towards renewable energy. Over 10 million acres of land will be needed in the United States for large-scale solar power by 2050. It was estimated that over 3500 km2 of agricultural land could benefit from pollination services supported by solar-pollinator habitats across 2244 operating solar facilities in the United States.
Furthermore, solar energy facilities sites in areas could be beneficial in areas that have been previously ecologically compromised, such as marginal farmlands, former industrial or mine lands and other disturbed sites.
Combining the solar sites with agricultural land, be it planting crops or wildflowers, will help benefit our environment. Pollinators and other local wildlife will continue to thrive, and we will be able to sustainably use renewable energy. It’s a win for humans and the environment.
