The location of solar farms within England's ecological landscape: Implications for biodiversity conservation

Abstract

A global energy transition to using sustainable renewable sources is being driven by global agreements. Simultaneously there is a call for increased biodiversity conservation. This creates a green-green dilemma, where the expansion of renewables could lead to the demise of biodiversity if not carefully assessed, managed and monitored. Recognition of the dilemma is central to the development of Sustainable Development Goals. It is therefore important to understand whether renewable energy sources such as solar farms are being sited in areas where they have minimal impact on biodiversity. If solar farms were sited with minimal impacts on biodiversity, we hypothesised that they would be less likely to be sited close to ecologically sensitive areas than near random points. We used Geographic Information System methods to explore the density of solar photovoltaic (PV) farms in England and assessed their siting relative to sensitive ecological features, including priority habitat types, designated sites, and land conservation initiatives. We compared the area of 25 sensitive ecological features around solar farms and random points across three spatial scales (100 m, 1000 m, and 6000 m radius scales). Solar farms were distributed throughout England, with the highest concentration in South West England. Solar sites were primarily surrounded by habitats with anthropogenic influences, such as agricultural and urban settings. Priority habitats, such as woodland, grassland, wetland and heathland, were more extensive around random points across spatial scales (except for woodland at the largest scale). Most designated sites were significantly more extensive around random points. We conclude that, under current planning regulations, solar sites in England are being placed appropriately with regard to sensitive ecological habitats, and are often sited in areas already impacted by farming and development. Adaptive planning should be implemented to ensure that the evolving research around biodiversity and solar farms is incorporated into decision making, and monitoring is completed across the lifespan of solar farms to assess impacts and effective mitigation.

Keywords: GIS; Land use; Photovoltaic; Planning; Renewable energy; Wildlife.