Solar farms are subject to maintenance contracts which ensure safe and efficient production of electricity, but also look after the land and hedges around the solar equipment.
Once the site is in use, maintenance visits are relatively infrequent and usually involve a 4x4 vehicle checking and maintaining electrical equipment, or grounds maintenance activities such as cutting grass and trimming hedges.
The land around the solar arrays can either be grazed with sheep or used to promote biodiversity through planting and encouraging local wildlife. DEFRA guidance requires solar farms to provide net bio diversity gains and recent research from York and Lancaster Universities has resulted in clear methodology and tools to support this.
There are excellent opportunities to introduce a wide variety of plants (including grasses, wildflowers and hedging plants), which in turn can support bees, butterflies and other insects. The drainage swales also provide valuable habitat. Rare species known to thrive on solar farms include yellowhammer, grey-legged partridge and various species of foraging bats as well as moths and pollinators
Once the site is in use, maintenance visits are relatively infrequent and usually involve a 4x4 vehicle checking and maintaining electrical equipment, or grounds maintenance activities such as cutting grass and trimming hedges.
The land around the solar arrays can either be grazed with sheep or used to promote biodiversity through planting and encouraging local wildlife. DEFRA guidance requires solar farms to provide net bio diversity gains and recent research from York and Lancaster Universities has resulted in clear methodology and tools to support this.
There are excellent opportunities to introduce a wide variety of plants (including grasses, wildflowers and hedging plants), which in turn can support bees, butterflies and other insects. The drainage swales also provide valuable habitat. Rare species known to thrive on solar farms include yellowhammer, grey-legged partridge and various species of foraging bats as well as moths and pollinators
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"Short of returning land to nature, land use change for solar parks arguably offers more potential than any other land use change to deliver much needed natural capital and ecosystem service benefits.” |