Case Study: Eden Renewables
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Research highlights how sustainable solar growth can protect and promote ecosystem services
Eco-I North West expands and enhances understanding of the ecological risk and reward of solar parks globally
As energy generation is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, the adoption of renewable energy is a key to mitigating climate change.
Photovoltaic (PV) solar power has the greatest potential power generation of all renewables and is on course to become the dominant renewable energy source by 2050, with utility scale solar, largely comprising ground-mounted solar parks, predicted to represent 60% of total solar PV capacity by 2050.
While such growth will result in land use change, Solar Energy UK predicts that less than 0.5% of farmland would be needed to meet UK’s 2035 solar targets of 70GW. And not enough is known about the impact of solar on the environment and biodiversity.
There is a need to build an evidence base of the impact of well designed and managed solar parks compared to other renewables and other land uses.
The Challenge
Eden Renewables is a UK and US-based developer of renewable energy and energy storage projects focussed on a sustainable approach to solar development, known for setting industry-leading standards for biodiversity and ecological enhancement.
For the past 10 years the Eden team has worked with Wychwood Biodiversity to pioneer and implement a broad range of ecological measures on its solar farms tailored to the local environment – from creating wildflower meadows to establishing wetland areas to targeting specific bird and insect species. New native trees and hedgerows, planted for screening, also provide new habitats, while the land is usually maintained by light sheep grazing so it contributes to food production too. Beehives are often introduced to make the most of the pollinator-friendly habitats created on the solar farm.
For several years Eden has also been working with Lancaster University to learn more about how land use change for solar parks can address the urgent and interdependent challenges of mitigating climate change and ecosystem degradation.
In 2019 Lancaster University, in partnership with University of York and many external partners including Wychwood and Eden, launched the Solar Park Impacts on Ecosystem Services (SPIES) tool. This is an evidence-based online resource that can be used by the solar industry, farming community, nature conservation bodies, local authorities and policy makers to provide robust scientific input to solar park development and management decisions.
While the SPIES tool provided a database of relevant research on grassland, it highlighted that little research had been specifically carried out on solar farms, and more needed to be known about the full environmental impact of large ground-based solar parks.
The Solution
Using long-term PhD level support, funded by the Eco-I North West programme, Eden Renewables has been working with Lucy Treasure, a Master’s graduate in Ecology and Conservation from Lancaster University.
Her PhD involves ground-breaking research quantifying the positive and negative impacts of solar parks in the UK on ‘ecosystem services’ which are the direct and indirect contributions ecosystems provide for human society.
The ongoing research is split into three papers.
The first is a systematic review of the current evidence base on environmental impacts of solar parks globally, linking this evidence to a relevant ecosystem service and contextualising this with the ecosystem type, climate type and lifecycle phase of the solar park.
This has given Eden a database which demonstrates how a solar park enhances or degrades an ecosystem service through its lifecycle from construction, operation or decommissioning.
Lucy used the research to make evidence-based recommendations at each stage of the solar park lifecycle.
The second paper will involve quantitative analysis of the soil underneath and in between the panels to ascertain how the two conditions impact soil health and function.
This has involved taking samples from 10 different solar parks and lab testing indicators such as pH, soil moisture, organic matter and bulk density, taking into account if the land was previously arable or grassland.
A third paper is exploring the forage quality of the grasses that grow underneath and between solar panels to inform farmers about the grazing capacity of their land.
The Outcomes
The new insights, which build on a wider body of research at Lancaster, including the SPIES tool, have positioned Lancaster University as a leader in academic study of land use change for solar parks.
Dr Alona Armstrong, Lucy’s academic supervisor, said: “Lucy’s work is incredibly valuable. She has undertaken a global review of solar parks using peer reviewed academic literature and found out what happens and where, and linked that to the consequences for ecosystem services.
“It gives us some really important insights, but also shows substantial gaps in evidence. As this land use change is happening globally, and it's accelerating as we rush to meet net zero commitments, we need to rapidly develop understanding of the impacts. If we don’t do this, we will miss the opportunity to embed ecological co-benefits into the energy transition and risk detrimental consequences.
“When it is published this will be one of the first papers that provides quantitative data of the impact of solar parks on ecosystem services across the world.”
For Eden Renewables the project has provided them with a unique dataset which it can draw upon to inform how new solar parks are managed.
Ross Wolhuter, Head of Development, Eden Renewables said: “Solar parks, if well planned and designed, and managed for biodiversity, offer the opportunity to mitigate both climate and ecological emergencies. A well-managed solar farm can become a nature reserve for its operational lifetime, resulting in huge benefits for wildlife and biodiversity.
“It's a win-win for the environment and for science.”
The Eco-I North West project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
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