SOLAR FARMS CAN INCREASE BIODIVERSITY

Researchers have suggested that solar farms can enhance biodiversity and help pollinators such as bees and butterflies thrive.

The research, published by trade association Solar Energy UK, comes just a few months after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak indicated increasing support for the growth of solar farms after rejecting the prospect of an effective ban put forward by his short-lived predecessor Liz Truss.

Lancaster University researchers said solar farms surveyed by ecologists showed an increase in the abundance of wildlife, especially the vital pollinators that maintain biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

They said pollinator habitats such as wildflower meadows could be established within solar farms and could increase the abundance of bumblebees by up to four times.

Key pollinator groups have declined in recent years due to the loss of suitable habitat and an increased use of pesticides, with Friends of the Earth claiming the UK has already lost 13 of the more than 1,500 pollinating insect species in Britain, with a further 35 currently at risk.

With most solar farms built on ‘moderate quality’ grade 3b agricultural land which is less productive for growing crops but flat enough for solar panel installation and well positioned to allow insects to pollinate nearby crops, the industry welcomed a government change of heart in December.

Former Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena had floated the idea of extending planning protections that apply to high-grade farmland to this moderate grade 3b land, but his successor Thérèse Coffey ruled out that idea before Christmas and backed “a lot more” solar generation on farms.

Neil Cockerill, founder of solar energy company Rainbow Energy, commented: “Since the lifting of the proposed ban, we have had more than four times the number of enquiries for solar from farmers. The benefits are numerous. Solar panels save agricultural businesses from paying sky-high energy prices, promote food security by keeping farms in business and encourage biodiversity, cutting carbon on the way.”