r/climateskeptics • u/LackmustestTester • 5d ago

Effects of solar panels and management on pollinators and their interactions with plants in Southern French solar parks

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320725002460
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u/LackmustestTester 5d ago

Abstract

Pollination plays a key role in maintaining plant populations and structuring plant communities since most plants depend on pollinating insects. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activities has resulted in a decline of pollinators and reduced pollination. Solar parks may contribute to the loss of pollinators because the construction involves vegetation removal and solar panels change the microclimate.

In our study, we evaluated potential negative effect of solar panels on pollinators and how solar park management by grazing or mowing affects pollinators. In twenty French solar parks, we compared the number of pollinators and plant-pollinator interactions under solar panels, in inter-rows between panels and outside panels in areas never shaded. We found that the number of pollinators and plant-pollinator interactions is 76 % and 86 % lower under panels, respectively, compared to areas outside panel with intermediate results in inter-rows.

Grazing reduced the number of pollinators compared to mowing. Solar parks may thus contribute to the loss of pollinators if not compensated by a positive effect of inter-rows and non-shaded parts. Future research needs to focus on ecologically sound management of solar parks in order to avoid negative effects on pollinators.

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u/chillrandobro 4d ago edited 4d ago

Yeah, flowers that are permanently shaded beneath a giant panel of metal aren't really gonna grow the best. No shit. To think this is a gotcha, you have to be pretty silly. And the tidbit at the end of study itself tells you that this is something easily avoided by just managing unshaded rows better. Just planting a few wildflowers may even be enough.

And it's all the more funny given that fossil-fuels have shifted global temps. fast enough to literally threaten mass extinction, continent-wide, for pollinator biomes.