Solar farms ensure habitat connectivity for wildlife through several thoughtful design and management strategies that minimize habitat fragmentation and allow safe wildlife movement:
- Creating Wildlife Passage Openings: Solar farm fences can include regularly spaced openings (e.g., 10 inches wide by 7 inches tall every 260 feet) to allow small wildlife to pass through the perimeter, maintaining connectivity with surrounding habitats.
- Elevated Solar Panels and Increased Spacing: Panels are often installed higher off the ground (e.g., 42 inches rather than the industry standard 24 inches) and spaced further apart (14 to 20 feet) to allow more light and space for native vegetation to grow beneath, preserving undergrowth and facilitating animal movement through and under the solar arrays.
- Minimizing Vegetation Clearance: Instead of clearing entire plots, vegetation is clipped as needed, conserving existing plants to maintain natural topography and habitats within the solar site.
- Limiting Vehicle Impact: Using small utility vehicles with low speed limits reduces disturbance to wildlife during maintenance, and staff often receive training to be aware of sensitive species, like desert tortoises, thus minimizing harm to local wildlife.
- Temporary Wildlife Relocation and Monitoring: Some projects temporarily relocate sensitive species before construction and monitor them post-installation to ensure their successful return and continued habitat use.
- Smart Site Selection and Project Siting: Locating solar farms on lands that avoid critical undisturbed habitats or migratory corridors helps reduce ecosystem disruption and maintains landscape connectivity.
- Conserving and Creating Habitats: Solar farms can be managed as pollinator-friendly habitats or native vegetation zones, which provide food, shelter, and corridors for various wildlife species, effectively integrating renewable energy production with biodiversity conservation.
Together, these strategies enable solar farms to function not only as sources of clean energy but also as compatible landscapes that maintain or even enhance habitat connectivity and biodiversity across large areas.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-do-solar-farms-ensure-habitat-connectivity-for-wildlife/
