Home – Energy – Solar panels were blamed for wiping out fields, but birds and insects are now rewriting the story beneath them
For years, solar parks have carried a heavy image problem. Many people picture rows of black panels spreading across the countryside, pushing out birds, insects, and the quiet life of rural fields.
However, new data from Spain is complicating that picture. The latest findings suggest that, when solar sites are well placed and properly managed, they can become surprisingly active refuges for wildlife instead of silent industrial zones.
The key point is simple, but important. Solar farms should not be compared with untouched forests. They should often be compared with the intensive farmland they replace.
The clearest numbers come from Spanish solar plants studied by EMAT, an independent environmental consultancy, and highlighted by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF). In Minglanilla (Cuenca), researchers identified 32 bird species inside the solar plant, compared with 19 in the nearby agricultural control area.
The pattern also appeared elsewhere. Revilla Vallejera (Burgos) recorded 39 species inside the solar site and 34 outside, while Trujillo (Cáceres) recorded 31 species inside and 25 outside. These are not vague hopes about green energy. They are species counts from real facilities.
What kinds of birds are moving in? UNEF says the sites have documented species of special ecological interest, including stone-curlew, little bustard, roller, little owl, and lesser kestrel. As insects and small prey return, raptors such as eagles, vultures, kites, harriers, falcons, and owls can also find reasons to hunt there.
The explanation is not some hidden solar technology. It is much more down to earth. Inside many well-managed solar parks, there are no herbicides, no hunting, no intensive farm work, and only limited human visits for maintenance.
Compared with a field that is regularly plowed, sprayed, and stripped back, that quiet can matter. For an insect, a nesting bird, or a small mammal, the space beneath and between panels may feel less like a machine and more like a break from pressure.
Martín Behar, UNEF’s director of studies and environment, said Spanish data show that solar plants that are “well located and managed” can support valuable habitats. He also pointed to the lack of fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides, combined with controlled grazing, as a reason for the “very positive” biodiversity results.
Spain is not alone here. In the United Kingdom, research by the RSPB and the University of Cambridge found that solar farms in agriculturally dominated East Anglia had more bird species and more individual birds than nearby arable land, acre for acre.
The best results came from solar farms managed with nature in mind. Sites with hedgerows, mixed habitats, flowering plants, and less intensive grass cutting held nearly three times as many birds as adjacent arable farmland. Threatened species such as corn buntings, greenfinches, yellowhammers, and linnets were among the birds that benefited most.
There is also a farming angle. Lightsource bp reported promising results from wool testing at its Wellington solar farm in New South Wales, Australia, where Merino sheep grazing among panels were compared with sheep in a regular paddock.
The company said the setup did not harm wool production, and some measures even suggested improved wool quality, although it warned that longer-term measurement is still needed.
Here is the catch. You cannot just plant panels, mow everything flat, and expect birds and insects to magically appear. A simple, closely cut site may produce electricity, but it will not necessarily do much for nature.
The better model is more active. That means keeping plant cover, using native vegetation around the edges, creating ecological corridors, installing nest boxes or shelters, and using sheep as natural lawnmowers where appropriate. Ultimately, the panels are only part of the story. The land plan is what decides whether wildlife gets a chance.
UNEF’s Sustainability Excellence Seal tries to push the sector in that direction. Its framework includes environmental integration, biodiversity protection, community value, governance, and circular economy measures.
UNEF also says ground-mounted solar plants can leave about 90% of the land free, which gives developers room to restore vegetation and add wildlife features if they choose to do it properly.
None of this means every solar project is automatically good for the countryside. Researchers at Cambridge warned that new solar farms should not be placed in ecologically risky areas, protected nature sites, or places that already serve as important refuges for rare or declining species.
That nuance matters. A solar farm on degraded intensive farmland can create breathing room for wildlife. A poorly planned project in the wrong place can still damage habitats that were already valuable.
So the real debate is changing. It is not simply solar panels versus birds. It is whether solar developers, regulators, and landowners are willing to treat the ground under the panels as living space, not empty space.
The idea now gaining ground is sometimes called “conservoltaics,” a blend of renewable power and active conservation. It sounds technical, but the basic idea is easy to understand. The same field can help produce electricity while also giving insects, birds, sheep, and native plants a better shot at surviving.
That could matter as countries race to build more clean power while families deal with higher electric bills and hotter summers. Solar farms will keep spreading, but the question is what kind of countryside they leave behind.
At the end of the day, a fence around a solar park can work like a wall or like a shelter. The difference comes down to design, location, and care.
The press release was published on UNEF.
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