Solar developers nationwide are looking to make their projects more pollinator-friendly in hopes of increasing site values, meeting sustainability goals and promoting biodiversity. Yet, that can be a difficult metric to quantify.
Some states have created pollinator-friendly scorecards that lay out a set of criteria that must be met in order for projects to earn the “pollinator-friendly” stamp. Minnesota, for instance, requires a contracted third party to assess projects and submit their findings to the state’s board of water and soil resources for review. Factors such as seed mix diversity, native vegetation and insecticide risk are analyzed.
“Today, there are more than 7000 acres of projects on the state’s list [of pollinator-friendly certified sites], totaling over 60 specific projects,” said Ben Gerber, the president and CEO of renewable energy credit (REC) verifier CleanCounts. He told pv magazine USA that nearly ten years ago, Minnesota was the first state in the nation to adopt groundcover standards for solar site owners who want to claim that their sites provide benefits to pollinators, songbirds or game birds.
Gerber also explained that the science-based standards were co-developed by ecologists, entomologists and industry professionals and designed to be flexible.
“The criteria can be met through a selection of different seed mixes that cost less than 0.1% of the total project budget,” he added, pointing out that per research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, any higher upfront seed costs incurred from using pollinator-friendly mixes are more than outweighed by the lower ongoing operations and maintenance costs that would come from things like mowing grass beneath panels.
For non-developer project owners, whether corporates, utilities, or otherwise, however, it can be less clear how to dip a toe into the world of pollinator-friendly solar. That’s where pollinator-friendly RECs come into the picture.
RECs already serve as the accounting mechanism that tracks renewable generation, and adding a verified “pollinator-friendly” attribute provides additional transparency and value.
“It isn’t necessarily a price premium that folks are looking for, but a preference,” said Gerber. He pointed to the board game Catan New Energies as an example; Midwest-based Connexus Energies provided the gamemaker with enough pollinator-friendly, sheep-grazed RECs to cover the amount of power used in the game’s manufacturing.
Other corporate buyers are also taking notice. Pinterest reported purchasing tribally sourced, pollinator-friendly solar RECs through Seneca Environmental, a tribally owned energy attribute trading firm. For many companies, the decision aligns with broader ESG and biodiversity commitments rather than cost considerations alone.
“A project owner can really set themselves apart when they’re marketing their RECs by being specifically pollinator-friendly or providing other agrivoltaic benefits,” he added.
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