Solarcentury and Habitat Aid to develop bio-diverse UK solar parks
Aim to create diverse and attractive habitats for a wide range of fauna including wildflower areas, hedgerows and hedge margins
Seed recently harvested from Habitat Aid’s community of small specialist UK nurseries and growers is ready to be sown at Solarcentury solar parks around the UK. Habitat Aid will supply high quality British native trees, plants, seeds and nest boxes to solar parks developed by Solarcentury in order to improve biodiversity through habitat restoration or new native planting schemes.
Solar parks, often sited in remote areas, can provide safe havens for butterflies, bumblebees and other insects whose populations have dwindled in recent decades due to intensive agriculture and poor land management practices, resulting in significant habitat loss. For example, an estimated 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK have been lost since the 1940s. Solarcentury will develop a Habitat Management Plan for each solar park to ensure seeds, plants and trees are selected and grown in a way that encourages species biodiversity whilst maximising the efficiency of the panels.
Nick Mann, Director of Habitat Aid said: “I am really looking forward to working with Solarcentury on these projects. When sensitively sited and appropriately managed, solar parks can present a fantastic opportunity for the establishment of habitats such as wildflower areas. They can provide an attractive refuge for a whole host of creatures. For example, solar panels provide dappled shady areas, similar to a woodland edge, one of our most species rich habitats. I’m excited by the potential for solar parks to support British wildlife and offer a lifeline to many species. ”
Careful management of hedges and edges and the creation of wildflower grassland strips in between solar panels will support a broad range of invertebrates, and therefore birds, amphibians and reptiles and smaller mammals.
Frans van den Heuvel, CEO of Solarcentury said: “At Solarcentury, we are always looking for ways to positively impact the environment. Working with Habitat Aid presents us with an exciting opportunity to improve biodiversity in solar parks, and it compliments our new partnership with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. So as well as cutting carbon emissions, solar panels are also ideal for nurturing a diversity of flora and fauna because they can provide a greater range of dry and wet and shaded and sunny areas than fields without panels.”
Bio-diverse environments are economically valuable because insects pollinate the crops we need to grow to eat. Habitats such as wildflower meadows are aesthetically pleasing, and can improve public health by enabling people to connect with nature. Also, creating robust food chains, in which species are highly interdependent, is critical in ensuring flora and fauna can withstand climatic extremes.
For more information please visit: www.solarcentury.com
Or contact us:
UK
Sarah Allison
44(0)20 7549 1000
50 Great Sutton St,
London,
EC1V 0DF
About Solarcentury
Solarcentury is one of the most respected solar companies in the world. Founded in 1998, we have been around since the early days of the solar industry and have been part of the evolution that has made PV the attractive investment it is today. We have put solar on a greater variety of sites than any other company in the industry, and have won multiple awards for product innovation.
We work directly with our clients to design and install commercial, industrial and utility scale solar. We also supply our products and services to installers and distributors. All of our customers benefit from our experience in terms of engineering quality, superior yields and sheer breadth of deployment.
We are a big believer in helping solar PV change our world for the better and contribute 5% of our net profits every year to the charity we founded, SolarAid, which aims to eradicate kerosene lamps from Africa by 2020.
Solarcentury has offices in the UK, Italy, The Netherlands and a growing presence in Africa and Latin America.
