Pollinator-friendly solar is a new take on agrivoltaics -- see for background Harshavardhan Dinesh, Joshua M. Pearce, The potential of agrivoltaic systems, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54, 299-308 (2016). DOI:10.1016/j.rser.2015.10.024, open access
TEDx talk on this subject:
TEDx: This Unlikely 1960s Space Tech Can Help Save the Bees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-o9HaUAV4I&app=desktop
And here’s an example of the ecosystem services provided by pollinator habitat in NC:
David Tarpy, a honeybee biologist at NSCU
Hannah Burrack, Associate Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU).
And in Michigan:
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/attracting-wild-bees-to-farms-is-a-good-insurance-policy/
ATTRACTING WILD BEES TO FARMS IS A GOOD INSURANCE POLICY
Notable developments accelerating momentum into 2018 National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.org/newsroom/pollinator-friendly-solar-site-helps-power-national-geographic-headquarters/ , Organic Valley https://www.organicvalley.coop/newspress/organic-valley-launches-community-solar-partnership-be-100-percent-renewably-powered-2019/ , and Perdue Farms http://web.archive.org/web/20190322073000/https://www.greenbiz.com/article/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites commit to standards-based pollinator-friendly solar arrays; Electric cooperatives in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and North Dakota built and seeded pollinator-friendly solar arrays; Electric Power Research Institute, the nonprofit with members that generate approximately 90 percent of the electric utility revenue in the United States, launched a Power-in-Pollinators Initiative https://www.epri.com/#/pages/product/000000003002011367/ in a two-day event in Washington, D.C. Modern Farmer https://modernfarmer.com/2017/09/solar-honey-in-minnesota/ , Martha Stewart http://web.archive.org/web/20201212030950/http://www.marthastewart.com/1515801/bees-garden-solar-energy-new-good-partnership , and National Geographic https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/chasing-genius-solar-honey-pollinator-friendly-energy/ magazines highlight the opportunity for beekeepers to support solar and benefit from healthy foraging sites for their hives; Solar Power World puts pollinator-friendly solar on the cover http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2017/05/pollinator-friendly-solar-vegetation/ and SunShot features Solar Honey in its booth at the nation’s largest solar tradeshow; Monarch Joint Venture leader reflects on how solar sites can help save the monarch http://web.archive.org/web/20201109021533/https://www.startribune.com/how-solar-energy-sites-can-provide-habitat-for-our-minnesota-monarchs/456220783/
Sustainability leaders of VERGE and GreenBiz make the business case for pollinator-friendly solar sites .http://web.archive.org/web/20190322073000/https://www.greenbiz.com/article/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites Recent webinars Pollinator Friendly Solar: Overview & Technical Practicum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdLgh9Kdayw&feature=youtu.be Hosts: North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center and Audubon North Carolina Presenters: Center for Pollinators in Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Perdue Farms, SoCore Energy, Cypress Creek Renewables, and Prairie Restorations, Inc. Corporate Leadership on Solar Arrays with Abundant Pollinator Habitat https://vimeo.com/222410071/9c25a3ca02 Host: International Society of Sustainability Professionals Presenters: Center for Pollinators in Energy, Perdue Farms, and Gund Institute for Ecological Economics NREL Webinar: Co-locating Agriculture and Solar https://fresh-energy.org/nrelwebinar/ Hosts: U.S. Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory Presenters: Center for Pollinators in Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and SoCore Energy Monarch Joint Venture: Solar and Pollinators https://vimeo.com/223161940 Host: U.S. Department of Interior National Conservation Training Center Presenters: Center for Pollinators in Energy, Monarch Joint Venture, and OneEnergy Renewables
