Solar farms can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields, and offer important habitat for threatened bird species

A new study has found that large-scale solar farms offer important habitat for threatened bird species and that they can host up to three times as many birds as crop fields.

Large-scale solar farms are getting more popular, and many of these solar farms are being built on existing farmland. But not much research has been done on solar farms environmental impact on the local environment, fauna and wildlife – and how they compare to more traditional agriculture land. But a new study that was published earlier last month has done just this and researched the impact solar farms has on birds in the UK.

Pleasingly enough, the study found that solar farms that were managed with biodiversity in mind contained up to three times as many birds as than surrounding cropland.

The researchers performed the study by sorting the various solar farms into two different categories: “simple habitat” and “mixed habitat” solar farms. The “simple habitat” solar farms were the ones that were more intensively managed, with the grass around solar panels cut or grazed and sward height remaining short throughout the summer. There were also no woody boundary features or other habitats present at the solar farm. In contrast, the “mixed habitat” solar farms contained more natural elements, such as woody features along the boundary fence, such as hedgerows or trees. And the grass around the solar panels was taller and contained more wildflowers due to the grass being cut less frequently.

The study concluded that the number of birds on the “mixed habitat” solar farms were up to three times higher than adjacent traditional high-yielding cropland, and they had twice as many birds than more “simple habitat” solar farms. Even more encouraging, the study also found that solar farms offer important habitat for a number of threatened bird species.

“Our findings show that in nature depleted landscapes, like arable farmland, solar farms managed for mixed habitat can increase bird abundance and diversity […] Whilst careful planning is needed to ensure solar farms are sited in suitable areas, if managed with biodiversity in mind then their impact can be beneficial and could provide relief from the effects of agricultural intensification on biodiversity in the surrounding landscape.”

Obviously, it makes sense that the “mixed habitat” solar farms attracts the biggest bird populations. After all, they contain many of the natural features that birds prefer, such as hedgerows and tall and diverse vegetation around the solar panels, that offer both shelter and food for birds. But it’s nice that actual research confirms that it’s possible to implement solar farms on a large-scale without damaging the local wildlife and environment – if done right and with biodiversity in mind.