Ecovoltaic wild bee pollinator habitat may be a key to habitat connectivity and pollination services in solar-agricultural landscapes

Photovoltaics is emerging as the most widespread renewable energy sources globally, yet with increased reliance on alternative energy sources, concerns for land usage have been increased as well. Photovoltaic farms, while typically converted from agricultural farms, have the ability to be key multipurpose lands, incorporating agricultural or conservation initiatives in the same area. While developers advertise increased pollination services from under-panel pollinator habitat to surrounding agricultural lands, many sites plant and manage non-native grass instead of pollinator specific habitat. The purpose of this study was to estimate the potential crop yields from converting the non-native grassland under photovoltaic farms to pollinator habitat. We found that incorporating pollinator habitat into photovoltaic farms has the potential to have a substantial impact on crops in the surrounding landscape. We found yield increases of approximately 9.2% in sunflowers, 5.5% in soybeans, and up to 7.2% in alfalfa. In conjunction with other surrounding habitats as a whole, more connective landscape, wild pollination services can be responsible for yield increases of approximately 16.5% in sunflowers, and 13%, 10.8%, and 10% in alfalfa, soybean, and watermelon crops respectively. Soybean yield increases from photovoltaic pollinator habitat can be estimated on average to be worth 16 million USD, up to 39 million USD when part of the whole landscape from these wild pollination services. These results can be important for optimized management of photovoltaic farms and implementation of multiple purpose lands, as well as for the conservation of native bees, sustainability of agricultural landscapes, and increased food security.