UK-based company Queequeg Renewables is collaborating with Biodiverse Consulting on ensuring five solar projects meet their biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements, they said on Thursday.

The partnership will explore methods of improving biodiversity, including establishing wildflower meadows, preserving hedgerows, and promoting wetlands.

“Well-designed and managed solar farms in particular contribute to a range of important ecosystem features,” said Chris Binns, UK planning director at Queequeg Renewables, in a statement.

“They can support sustainable agriculture, regulate air quality, mitigate flood risk, generate new habitats, and reduce carbon emissions.”

The solar panels are installed on posts, minimising on-the-ground disturbance, Binns said. The London-based company has wind, solar, and storage projects under development expected to produce 10 gigawatts of energy collectively when operational.

Under the BNG rules, development projects in England need to achieve a net biodiversity improvement of at least 10%.

Observers are keenly watching the progression of the law as it could set a global standard for government nature requirements, while creating a market for statutory biodiversity credits that developers have to buy off-site as a ‘last resort’.

“The team at Biodiverse Consulting works with us from a project’s initial concept stage to understand the flora and fauna on site and the habitats and wildlife that are present,” Binns said.

“They then create a bespoke solution that maximises a new site’s positive impact for people and wildlife alike.”

Launched in 2019, Biodiverse Consulting helps companies to deliver environmental outcomes for projects in the UK.

In February, Carbon Pulse reported on a solar and wind project developer wanting to sell its surplus BNG units to a large developer in need of off-site nature gains.

That same month, another solar company committed to adopting measures to enhancing biodiversity, following mounting criticism over its plans to build a facility in the UK.

The impacts of renewable energy projects on the natural environment have become a global point of contention as the transition to low-emissions energy gathers pace.

By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com

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