Solar parks can become insect paradises

NEWS

POLICY & LEGAL

Heleen Kommers, Tuesday 28 October 2025

48 sec

Research: flower-rich vegetation in solar parks attracts many pollinators within just a few years

Solar parks can make a big difference for insects. This is shown by research from Wageningen University & Research within the project EcoCertified Solar Parks. In 15 solar parks, vegetation, pollinators, and other arthropods were studied. The results were compared with agricultural grasslands (the baseline situation) and extensively managed natural grasslands (the target situation).

The vegetation in the solar parks turned out to be remarkably flower-rich and closely resembled that of natural grasslands. As a result, the young parks attracted just as many species and individuals of bumblebees, solitary bees, and hoverflies as the extensive grasslands. According to the researchers, biodiversity could increase even further if management practices are well adjusted.

Butterflies lag behind

The picture looks different for butterflies. Their species composition still resembles that of agricultural grasslands. This is likely because the species typical of natural grasslands have not yet had the opportunity to establish themselves.

Management is key

The results show that solar parks can quickly become valuable for biodiversity — provided that vegetation management is tailored accordingly. Flower-rich vegetation and phased mowing practices are crucial. With the right management, solar parks can not only produce energy but also provide ecological added value in agricultural landscapes.

The researchers published their findings in "Plant and arthropod biodiversity responses to solar park establishment on former agricultural lands" in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

This article was previously published on 24 October 2025 on the website of Stad + Groen.

Wageningen University and...

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