‘If You Build It, They Will Come’: Saving Pollinator Habitat With Solar Power’s Help

From bees to butterflies, a worldwide decline in pollinators has entomologists trying to figure out how to help those bugs and the plants that rely on them survive.

The answer could come from a mixture of new technology and new habitat, and the timing is critical, as the monarch butterfly is up for an endangered species listing later this year.

Illinois grows the majority of pumpkins in the U.S., a crop that relies heavily on pollinators. The state saw a decline of more 50 percent in beehives between 2017 and 2018, according to the Bee Informed Partnership, a collaboration between the Apiary Inspectors of America and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Researchers at Argonne National Lab in Illinois and the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado think that a rapidly growing energy sector may be a key opportunity. Not only could pollinator habitat mitigate possible solar-field damage, like soil erosion and the loss of plant species, but could actively help fortify the soil and environment.

Rob Davis with Minnesota-based nonprofit Fresh Energy, which advocates for things like renewable energy, said putting pollinator habitat under solar panels could also be a boon for rural areas. He said the combination gives landowners another form of steady income and helps pollinate crops around the area.