It’s surprising how little we know about the positive effects solar panels can have on the local environment. For example, solar farms in Minnesota are having an unexpected effect on local insect populations. Elsewhere in the world, solar farms in Tibet are helping local residents by creating a prime “solar grazing” environment for livestock. But one of the biggest surprises in solar panels occurred in Ohio, where a solar farm became a remarkably suitable habitat for a huge colony of bees.
The Big Plain Solar facility, located in Madison County, Ohio, is a 1,500-acre solar farm owned by Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE). With so much unused land under these solar panels, LRE decided to collaborate with Frontline Hives and Wind & Sky Apiaries to establish more than 50 hives at the Big Plain Solar facility. This may seem like a relatively small number of hives for so much land, but together they are home to a total of around 3 million bees.
How Eco-Friendly Initiatives Affect Solar Farm Workers
There’s no doubt that Big Plain Solar’s massive bee colony is a boon to the environment. After all, bees are facing population declines, despite being essential pollinators for flowering plants and food crops. The collaboration between LRE and Frontline Hives ensures a healthy population of honeybees in Madison County, and the plants pollinated by these bees provide clean air and prevent soil erosion.
But what does this mean for solar panel technicians who must venture into a field teeming with bees? These technicians probably do not interact with swarms or hives. LRE maintains its sponsorship of Frontline Hives, which hires veterans and trained first responders to care for hives on LRE property. Rather, Big Plain Solar farm employees simply enjoy the benefit of working in a beautiful and generous environment.
This isn’t the only time working on a solar farm has been a rewarding experience. Solar panels installed above crops provide a benefit to Arizona farmworkers in the form of essential shade that helps prevent heatstroke. Dual-use solar farmland has proven to benefit crops, livestock and even wildlife, and more innovations are sure to come.
