We talk about ‘renewable energy in harmony with nature’ a lot at the RSPB. In fact, it has become the mantra for everything we’re trying to achieve with the energy sector. At its simplest it means the right type of renewable energy in the right place, managed in a way that maximises the benefits to wildlife.
Windfarms like Whitelee and Blacklaw in Scotland are good illustrations; both projects involved large peatland restoration programs alongside the developments that are benefiting wildlife, including birds like curlew and snipe.
These examples aren’t common enough, however, which is why I am delighted that the National Solar Centre has this week published Biodiversity Guidance for Solar developments. We worked on this Guidance with the industry and fellow conservation organisations like Plantlife, Buglife and the National Trust, and are excited about what it could mean for the future of this young industry.
At first glimpse solar farms can look like a sea of panels. But the panels only oversail 25-40% of the land, and even this area is mostly only partly shaded, allowing vegetation to grow. This, coupled with the fact that fertilisers and ploughing are not needed, creates a big opportunity for wildlife. The new guidance sets out how this opportunity can be taken.
Wildflower meadows can be established to help pollinators, ponds created, hedgerows planted and allowed to grow up to provide food and shelter for all sorts of wildlife. Parts of the farm can just be left uncultivated to help rare plants or seeded to provide winter food for ailing farmland birds.
If the industry follows this Guidance and gives nature a home on their solar farms there is no reason why they can’t become a valuable part of the agricultural landscape, helping – in a small but valuable way – to reverse biodiversity declines and combat climate change. Context is important here; the industry’s aspirations amount to something like 60,000 hectares over the coming decade. That’s about half the amount of land used for golf courses, or a tiny fraction of the land needed to grow biofuels.
The solar industry is to be applauded for the enthusiasm with which they have developed this guidance and their aspirations to give nature a home; indeed, other renewable energy sectors could learn from their example. This is particularly true given the rollercoaster ride the industry is being given by the Government, who have recently vowed to curb their growth, and whose relentless focus on supporting only the cheapest energy threatens to undermine schemes that go the extra mile to ensure they are an asset to the countryside.
In the end, renewable energy in harmony with nature will not always be the cheapest energy source in pure monetary terms. That’s as true for solar as it is for wind, wave and tidal power. But these developments can enhance our countryside and communities, and are essential if we are to reverse the loss of biodiversity. Surely that’s worth paying a little extra for.