Renewable energy installations - wind farms, solar arrays and the like are often built on open land. Today, many forward-thinking operators recognise that these sites can serve a dual purpose: generating clean power while actively fostering biodiversity.

One growing approach is to plant native wildflowers and grasses beneath and around solar panels, transforming sterile fields into thriving “pollinator meadows.” The benefits are striking. Argonne National Lab reports that within five years of planting prairie habitat at solar arrays, insect numbers exploded  with total insect abundance tripled and native bee counts increased twentyfold. These flowering meadows can potentially outperformed the barren ground they replaced, offering vital habitat for pollinators, birds and other wildlife.

Research on birdlife is similarly encouraging. A 2025 study by the RSPB and Cambridge University found that solar farms in England hosted nearly three times as many birds as the surrounding arable land.Crucially, the sites that were managed with nature in mind – with grassy margins, wildflower strips and varied habitats – saw the biggest gains: they not only attracted more species, but also a greater total of individual birds. This shows that planning green infrastructure at renewable sites pays dividends. Some wind farms are adopting the same idea by planting flowering hedgerows or leaving strips of grassland around turbines to form wildlife corridors (NatureScot, 2023).

Companies generating wind and solar power are increasingly embracing nature-based strategies. By integrating wildflower meadows, hedgerows and low-mow zones, these projects can turn energy sites into biodiversity refuges. Studies make it clear that post-construction gains are real: insect and bird populations often rise significantly with careful habitat management. Maintaining these gains requires commitment to long-term monitoring, as Polliknow does for partners in energy sectors: tracking metrics over years ensures that clean energy projects also deliver clean living environments