Pollinators Love Agrivoltaic Sites

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• Introduction
• Solar Panels and Pollinators
• Why Bees Matter
• The 412% Increase in Honey Production
• It's Not Just About Honeybees
• Turning One Piece of Land Into Multiple Sources of Value
• Could This Work in Canada?
• Conclusion

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Introduction

When most people think about solar panels on farmland, they probably think about one thing: solar panels taking up valuable agricultural land.

But what if we looked at it a little differently?

What if that same piece of land could produce electricity, continue supporting agriculture, and provide a much better environment for bees and other pollinators at the same time?

That is exactly the kind of question researchers at Iowa State University have been looking at through their agrivoltaics research.

And one of their findings really caught my attention.

Researchers reported a 412% increase in honey production from honeybee colonies after native, perennial flowering vegetation was incorporated into an agrivoltaic site.

That's a pretty impressive number.

But the number itself isn't really the whole story.

The interesting part is understanding why it happened and what it could mean for farmers considering solar.

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Solar Panels and Pollinators

One of the concerns we hear about solar development is the impact it can have on the land. If we're simply clearing land, putting down gravel and installing rows of solar panels, we've created an energy-producing site, but we've potentially lost some of the natural value that land provided.

Agrivoltaics takes a different approach.

Instead of looking at the space between the solar panels as wasted space, researchers are asking what else we can do with it.

Could we grow crops? Could we grow native vegetation? Could we provide habitat for pollinators? Could we do all of these things while still producing electricity?

The Iowa State research is showing that there can be some pretty interesting answers to those questions.

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Why Bees Matter

Bees need food throughout the growing season.

That means having access to flowers that provide both nectar and pollen at different times of the year.

Modern agricultural landscapes can sometimes create a feast-or-famine situation for bees. There may be an abundance of flowers when certain crops are blooming, followed by long periods when there isn't nearly as much available forage.

Native perennial plants can help fill some of those gaps.

Instead of planting vegetation that has little benefit to pollinators, a solar site can be designed with flowering plants that provide food throughout much more of the season.

And that's where the Iowa State research gets interesting. The solar panels aren't producing more honey. The habitat is.

The panels simply provide another productive use for the same piece of land.

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The 412% Increase in Honey Production

At Iowa State University's solar research site, researchers incorporated native perennial flowering vegetation into the area around the solar installation and studied honeybee colonies.

The reported result was a 412% increase in honey production.

Now, I think it's important to put that number into perspective.

I wouldn't look at this and say that every solar farm is automatically going to produce 412% more honey.

There are too many variables involved.

The types of plants, weather, location, hive health, colony strength, management practices and site design can all make a difference.

But the result is still significant.

It suggests that a properly designed solar site can provide considerably better forage for honeybees, and potentially create another agricultural product at the same time.

And that's what makes this so interesting from an agrivoltaic perspective.

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It's Not Just About Honeybees

Honeybees get most of the attention because they're familiar and because we can actually measure something like honey production.

But they're not the only pollinators that can benefit. Native bees, butterflies and other insects can also make use of flowering vegetation. That means a pollinator-friendly solar site isn't necessarily just a place to put a few beehives. It can become a much more diverse habitat. And there is another important point here.

The goal isn't to simply plant flowers and walk away.

A good agrivoltaic design considers the entire site.

The plants need to be appropriate for the local climate. They need to be managed so they don't interfere with the solar panels or maintenance equipment. Access roads and electrical equipment still need to be accessible.

It's about designing the solar installation with the land in mind from the beginning.

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Turning One Piece of Land Into Multiple Sources of Value

This is the part of agrivoltaics that I find most exciting. Traditionally, we tend to think of land as having one primary purpose.

A field grows crops. A solar farm produces electricity. A pasture supports livestock. But agrivoltaics gives us the opportunity to start thinking differently. The same piece of land could potentially provide:

• Electricity
• Agricultural production
• Pollinator habitat
• Native vegetation
• Honey production

And potentially additional income for the landowner.

That's a pretty different way of looking at solar.

Instead of asking: "How much farmland are we losing to solar?"

Maybe we should also be asking: "How much more value can we create from the land if we design the solar project properly?"

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Could This Work in Canada?

This is where things get particularly interesting for us here in Canada.

Iowa has a very different climate than British Columbia or the Canadian Prairies. We have to think about different growing seasons, different plant species, rain, drought, snow loads and the amount of sunlight available throughout the year. So we can't simply take an Iowa solar farm and copy it here. But the underlying idea is the same.

Design the solar system around the land rather than treating the land as an obstacle to the solar system. Choose vegetation that makes sense for the local environment. Create habitat where possible. Maintain access for farming and maintenance, and make sure the solar installation continues to do what it was designed to do, produce electricity.

That's the beauty of agrivoltaics, it's not about choosing between agriculture and solar, it's about finding ways to make them work together.

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Conclusion

The 412% increase in honey production reported by the Iowa State researchers is certainly impressive. But for me, the bigger takeaway isn't the number, it's the possibility.

We're entering a time when we need more renewable energy, but we also need productive farmland, healthy ecosystems and habitat for pollinators. Those don't necessarily have to be competing priorities. With good planning, we may be able to combine them. A solar farm can produce electricity, the land can continue producing agricultural value, and the vegetation underneath and around those panels can provide food and habitat for bees and other pollinators. That's a pretty good combination.

And maybe that's one of the biggest advantages of agrivoltaics.

We're not just putting solar panels on the land.

We're finding new ways to make the land work harder.

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