Ecosystem Services

Sustainability concerns regarding solar energy voiced by the public often center on environmental issues. 

At the land-use nexus of solar energy development, agriculture, and conservation, there exists potential for land management practices that promote biodiversity and potential for co-location that facilitates co-benefits like ecosystem services, integrated pest management, and pollinator and grassland bird conservation. 

We are conducting field research on ecological interactions of agrivoltaics at industrial-scale solar facilities in New York state, to inform agrivoltaics with optimized techno-ecological synergies and real-world efficacy in agroecological systems. 

We are also currently working on two pollinator-friendly solar projects. The first project is assessing how different levels of rotational sheep grazing control vegetation while promoting flowers and pollinators. Results indicate there's a "goldilocks zone" where a moderate level of sheep grazing adequately controls vegetation while promoting floral and bee diversity, but overgrazing reduces floral and bee diversity and also leads to health problems for the sheep. 

The second project we’re working is a large-scale study across the USA that’s assessing which common types of vegetation management at solar facilities are associated with the most abundant and diverse bee communities. A novel aspect of this research is the use of eDNA to assess bee abundance and diversity, with the hope of phasing out lethal sampling of pollinators during biodiversity assessments.