Realising The Biodiversity Potential Of Solar Farms

UK Solar farms occupy around 35,000 acres of land, a figure which is set to increase to over 200,000 as the the country strives to meet its climate targets.  It is therefore important to look beyond energy generation and consider how this shift in land use will impact upon the environment.

The UK today, is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, mostly due to intensive farming and the use of chemicals. This nature emergency has now risen to become an equal threat as the increase in global temperatures.  This document seeks to demonstrate that converting land for solar energy generation could also offer a secondary benefit of improving outcomes for nature and even offer help with carbon storage.

Solar farms are uniquely placed to do this, as they remain undisturbed for the majority of their design life.  This means that they can be managed in a manor that encourages wildlife and biodiversity to flourish, creating havens for biodiversity.  Such a land management approach also offers excellent opportunities for these sites to capture and store carbon.

A further benefit that stems from more biodiverse solar farms, relates to a potential shift in the public perception.  At present the perceived benefit of a solar farm is purely clean energy generation, which can often come at the expense of the natural world. Instead, if managed correctly, these sites can have an ability to tackle both the climate emergency, through lowering carbon emissions and the nature emergency, through biodiversity improvements.  Demonstrating these dual benefits has clear potential to help projects win public support, especially with the expansion that lies ahead.  When these benefits are combined with the benefits of local ownership the case becomes even stronger.

The guide aims to give solar farm owners clear and practical guidance on designing and managing your solar farm to with nature in mind.