How can solar farm help improve bumblebee populations and habitats? This is what a recent study published in Global Change Biology hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated the benefits of using solar farms to improve bumblebee populations and biodiversity. This study has the potential to help scientists and engineers better understand how technology can be used to benefit ecosystems, especially at a time when insect populations are declining.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1,042 solar farms across Great Britain to ascertain their long-term capabilities of supporting bumblebee populations, specifically regarding changes to local surroundings. This study comes as bumblebee populations worldwide are facing significant declines, and while some populations are listed as being “at-risk”, none are listed as endangered or near extinction. They used a series of computer models to simulate long-term bumblebee populations resulting from solar farms. In the end, the researchers found that solar farms improve bumblebee populations by up to 120 percent with proper management, specifically regarding wildflower populations, which provide food for bumblebees.
“While benefits from solar farms for bumblebee densities may be limited to the local scale, our findings help to show that site management plays a role in supporting bumblebee populations,” said Dr. Alona Armstrong, who is a Professor in Energy & Environmental Sciences at Lancaster University and a co-author on the study. “Solar farms could be considered as an emerging tool in conservation to help protect populations of bumblebees into the future.”
The team discovered that landscape compositions in the surrounding areas could have increased contributions to sustaining bumblebee populations. Going forward, the researchers emphasize the importance of following models focused on sustainability while providing positive impacts for ecosystems worldwide.
How will solar farms help improve bumblebee populations in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Global Change Biology, Xerces Society, EurekAlert!
Featured Image Credit: Dr. Hollie Blaydes