Solar project to create new pollinator habitat

This story is a collaborative effort between local landowner, Doane Ltd, Elk Creek Solar’s Project Intern and UW-Stout Student, Ava McHugh, and Elk Creek Solar Project Team.

As solar panels collect energy from the sun, they also provide important shade for sprouts in the soil below. Proposed local solar project, Elk Creek Solar, has plans to plant deep-rooted vegetation underneath their panels that will not only help to restore soil health, but will also create new habitat for pollinators. 

Pollinators are a necessity to horticulture, whether it be the flower boxes outside your kitchen window, or the vegetable garden in your backyard. Bees and butterflies are among the most popular pollinators that can be found in Wisconsin. When a bee lands on a flower, little hairs all over the bee’s body attract pollen that is then transported from one flower to the next as they continue to feed. Butterflies pollinate in a similar manner, but the pollen grain is mainly attracted to their long legs or head. 

Approximately three quarters of the world’s major food crops require animal pollination. Without the work of these insects, it would be extremely difficult to cultivate enough food for our population. Not only would we be missing out on many fruits and vegetables that humans eat directly, but much of the food that is needed to sustain other primary and secondary consumers, like cows and pigs, would also become hard to produce. Together, wild and managed bees add $15 billion in crop value each year. 

Severe decreases in pollinator populations have been occurring across North America since the Dust Bowl Era, which cultivated important conservation and stewardship ideas – most notably from Wisconsin Native, Aldo Leopold. Many species of bumble bees and butterflies have recently been added to, or are undergoing status assessments, to be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Much of this decline is due to the loss of natural habitats that these insects need to survive. 

A 2021 report on a collaborative modeling exercise by the Argonne National Laboratory, Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory concluded that, “Compared to pre-solar agricultural land uses, solar-native grassland habitat produced a 3-fold increase in pollinator supply and a 65% increase in carbon storage potential. We also observed increases in sediment and water retention of over 95% and 19%, respectively.”, furthering the argument that, “grassland vegetation beneath ground-mounted solar projects can both protect biodiversity and restore ecosystem services.”.

If the Project is approved, a wide variety of vegetation, such as prairie plants or native oak savannah and prairie grasses, will be planted. Beneath the solar arrays of the Elk Creek Solar Project pollinators will be attracted by native grasses and sedges that are low-growing and shade tolerant and pollinator habitats such as butterfly weed, white indigo, spotted bee balm, wild lupine, and prairie cinquefoil, to name just a few. While they’re not only colorful and attractive to the eye, they’re also critically important to specialist species like the Monarch and Karner Blue Butterfly.  These plants will provide numerous benefits to the soil and water. 

Estimated to span across 1,600 acres of land, Elk Creek Solar could also provide Dunn County with new opportunities to continue cultivating areas for important insects, such as for the flagship monarch butterfly, or a space for local apiarists to practice. The project would give the community a chance to contribute to the growing number of initiatives to protect biodiversity that are popping up across the state. 

With the decline in crucial pollinator populations, the Elk Creek Solar Project would provide an important opportunity for new habitats and biodiversity to bloom.