Going beyond solar: boosting biodiversity for a more sustainable future

As a solar company, our main contribution to global sustainability is pretty much what it says on the tin – we make renewable energy. It’s a major part of who we are as a business, but it’s far from all we do. We’re going beyond solar, because we want to make a real difference and combat climate change on multiple levels.

This has been our approach from the beginning, and it’s laid out in our sustainability mission statement. We want to be clear about what we’re doing and why, so we’ve put together a brochure showcasing our approach to biodiversity. When it comes to developing a solar project, we focus on more than just panels – we always aim to boost biodiversity and enhance the local habitat and ecosystems in and around our projects.

We do this in a whole range of different ways, and we tailor our approach to each project – every single landscape is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Across the globe, we look at the area we’re building in and we work out the best way to go beyond just building a solar project to create a renewable energy asset that the local community can be proud of.

Some of our very first sites in the UK are planted with diverse seed mixes and are home to beehives that produce delicious solar honey, and we’re also creating pollinator-friendly habitats at our US projects. In Australia, we’ve designed sites to include conservation areas to provide a habitat for local species like koalas and flying foxes. We’ve prioritised restoring prairie land and creating carbon sinks, and we’re simultaneously supporting rural businesses and the local environment by combining sheep grazing and biodiversity initiatives.

To find out more about how we’re going beyond solar to work towards a more sustainable future, visit our sustainability website.