The value of UK agriculture could be boosted by millions of pounds a year if thousands of honeybee hives were deployed on solar parks across the country, a new study reveals.
The value of UK agriculture could be boosted by millions of pounds a year if thousands of honeybee hives were deployed on solar parks across the country, a new study reveals.
However, scientists caution that the benefits of managing solar parks for wild pollinators over honeybees should be prioritised where appropriate and should be assessed on a site by site basis.
A team of researchers from Lancaster University and the University of Reading has for the first time quantified the potential economic benefits and costs of installing honeybee hives on solar parks across the UK.
Solar parks are playing an increasingly important role in our national shift towards carbon zero as their contribution to electricity generation rises.
However, solar parks take up a lot of land, and as more parks are created to meet clean energy demand the it is important to look at how they can be used to bring about other environmental or commercial benefits.
Read more at: Lancaster University
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