To reach its climate goals, the U.S. will need to build solar arrays on some 15,000 square miles of land, an area larger than Maryland. Growing native plants at these sites could give a much-needed boost to imperiled insects, a new study finds.
For the research, scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory planted native flowers and grasses at two solar farms in southern Minnesota in early 2018. For the next five years, they regularly surveyed each site.
Over the course of the study, researchers found the number and variety of both plants and insects grew substantially. Particularly encouraging was the growth of pollinators, such as moths, butterflies, beetles, hornets, wasps, and bees.
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Categories: Minnesota, Energy, General