Why Can Birds Settle and Reproduce in German Solar Parks?

As the world goes green with clean energy, Germany's sun parks are not just signs of energy revolution, but also unexpectedly rich habitats. Surprisingly enough, many birds - especially skylarks - have begun settling and breeding here. But why are solar parks a "safe haven" for wildlife?

Let's consider how these solar farms encourage biodiversity and what they can teach us about future ecologic conservation and solar development.

A Surprising Haven for Wildlife

Solar parks: more than sun-kissed spots to generate electricity

Solar farms on the ground may appear to be nothing more than bare plots of land covered with blankets of metal. But in Germany, where more than 60 gigawatts of solar power generation capacity currently exist, those ground-mounted solar farms have inadvertently provided birds and other creatures with a sanctuary-like environment.

In the largest of Brandenburg's solar parks in Germany, biologist Matthias Stoefer came across 178 skylark nests, the densest he had ever found. The number is significantly higher than in neighboring farmland.

Why are the birds so successful in solar parks?

The top reasons why

Even though birds as such do not like places with too many vertical obstructions, the unique habitat of solar parks has benefits over regular agricultural land. These are the reasons why birds like it here to nest and breed:

• Less people and peaceful: The areas are fenced, rarely disturbed by people, and very quiet.
• Sheep grazing: The grass is grazed very short by the sheep, perfectly suitable for ground-nesting birds.
• Luscious insects: Flowering herbs and sheep dung attract a great many insects, which are essential for chick feeding.
• Diverse habitats: The sunlight area and shadow area under the solar panels provide diverse microhabitats.

Real-Life Examples: Skylarks and More

From Rarity to Revival

Field larks, which had previously been hard to spot in Germany's intensively cultivated fields, are prospering particularly in the solar park today, utilizing the quiet meadows between the panels as an ideal nesting place. The previously endangered small skylarks also return in great quantities.

Other bird species have also been spotted, among them:

• White wagtails
• Corn owls
• Red-backed shrikes
• Yellow wagtails
• Red kite-preferring migratory birds

Although the birds initially avoided the solar panels, they have come to become accustomed to them and nest below or in front of them, so the solar installations become part of the habitat, biologist Stoefer says.

Solar power and biodiversity: a win-win?

Broader ecological effects

As quoted by the German Federal Energy Agency (BNE), the solar park is more efficient in terms of biodiversity than the surrounding farmland. The abandoned farmland also recovers over a period of time - residues of fertilizer and pesticides are reduced, the vegetation cover is reconstituted, and the land is being rehabilitated.

Among those features that increase biodiversity are:

• Rotational sheep grazing to reduce loss of nutrients from the ground
• Non-damaging management
• Livestock trampled paths create low-nutrient sandy paths
• Restoration of native vegetation under and surrounding solar panels

The result? A series of ecological niches, from dry grasslands through flowering weeds, have been established, providing a home for insects, birds, and small mammals.

The Role of Thoughtful Design and Maintenance

Building Biodiversity into Solar Infrastructure

Turning solar facilities into a "small paradise" for animals is not something that can be achieved naturally but must be carefully designed. More and more solar project designers in Germany have begun to integrate ecological protection into project design with:

Certain specific measures including:

• No pesticides or fertilizers are used to maintain the land in its natural state.
• Plant local, insect-friendly plants.
• Let sheep graze instead of machine mowing.
• Design the landscape of the solar park according to terrain and vegetation.

Timur Hauck, nature conservationist at the energy group EnBW, explained: "If it is well planned and cared for, the solar park can become an ecosystem with elaborate and varied structures. Such ecological diversity is relatively rare in the European landscape."

Lessons for the Future of Solar Development

Germany's solar parks have led the way in environmental design and are worth learning from around the world. Governments, developers, and communities can learn from these experiences to facilitate clean energy production and ecosystem health to complement each other.