I have been asked to publish a post to discuss energy creation and its potential impact on an ecological issue of my concern. In previous posts, I have written about the decline in bee population and the effects of human activity that contribute to their decline. In this post, I will discuss how the use of fossil fuels negatively impacts the environment, and how increase use of renewable sources of energy can reduce negative effects on the bee’s habitat. I will also discuss how solar energy can be a viable source of renewable energy that can help with improving the health of the bee’s habitat.
A high percentage of electricity is created from non-renewable energy sources such as coal, and natural gas. Globally we get the largest amount of our energy from oil, followed by coal, and gas. Then, in the 4th place is the, hydroelectric power. According to post titled Energy mix by ourworldindata, the global energy mix is dominated by fossil fuels, accounting for more than 80% of energy consumption.
The chart below, from ourworldindata, shows that in many places there is a high percentage of electricity produced from high carbon sources
As you can see, there are many places around the world, some even among the so-called developed countries, with more than 40% share of high carbon sources of energy. Even in this country, Canada, there is still 20% of electricity production from fossil fuels.
The adverse of burning fossil fuels on the climate, has been studied, researched and documented for many years. When you burn fossil fuels, large amounts of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas, are released into air. This can lead to a heat up in our atmosphere and put stress on the natural flora of the bee’s habitat. Bees, especially bumblebees, are very sensitive to changes in temperature and can be negatively impacted by it. According to an article by Simon Fraser University, “temperature and precipitation both increased, on average, between 1900 and 2020 in the post-industrial revolution period. Temperature changes had primarily negative impacts on bumble bees, with 37 of the 46 species exhibiting greater declines or less positive increases in occupancy under observed temperature changes compared to if the temperature had remained constant.”
Since the use of carbon-rich sources of energy contribute to a raise in temperatures, and have negative impacts on the bee population, it is logical that a move away from fossil fuels and towards renewable and cleaner sources of energy can help counteract the negative climate impacts of the fossil fuels, and help with the population of the bees.
Solar energy is a clean and renewable source of energy with no carbon footprints. With prices of solar panels and installations coming down in recent years, it makes installation of solar panels in rural areas and increasingly attractive proposition. Studies have shown a growth of pollinator-friendly flora under and around the solar panels in solar farms.
Owners of Solar projects may be encouraged to plant pollinator-friendly flora in addition to the naturally growing plants. This would help with preservation the natural habitat of the bees. Owners of solar projects may plant wildflowers to attract multiple insects which include pollinators, move their solar panels farther away from agricultural that may not have good biodiversity, and install the panels close to the existing semi-natural habitat with better biodiversity.
According to an article by energymatters, moving panels away from “intensively managed agricultural landscapes would enable biodiversity to thrive underneath the panels”.
In an article of January 14, 2019, Scientific American wrote: "A trend of planting wildflowers on solar sites could maintain habitat for disappearing bees and butterflies". The article writes that "Minnesota-based Great River Energy has introduced pollinator-supporting plants—such as purple prairie clover and wild lupine—at several of its solar sites, as has SoCore Energy at some of its outfits in Wisconsin.", The article continues that "in Minnesota, it is estimated that half of the 4,000 acres of commercial solar projects installed in 2016 and 2017 included pollinator habitat.". The article mentions that there "is some limited evidence (pdf) solar farms with mixed plant life can support a wider array of bee and butterfly communities than those with grass or gravel beds can, but researchers are still investigating just how much this can affect the insects’ long-term survival."
According to an article by beeculture.com, “sites with pollinator habitat have a statistically significant increase in abundance of bees and butterflies (The Effects of Solar Farms on Local Biodiversity, “
We know the adverse affects of the burning of fossil fuels on the climate in general and on the bees and their habitat in particular. Solar projects provide an attractive alternative for a clean and renewable energy source. These projects have been proven to help with natural growth of pollinator-friendly flora. Many governments claim to be concerned about the effects of fossil-fuels and climate change. Governments may look into educational and financial ways of encouraging rural landowners to install and maintain solar projects on their land.
Sources and References:
- clientearth.org, (2022, Feb 18) Fossil fuels and climate change: the facts (https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latest-updates/stories/fossil-fuels-and-climate-change-the-facts/)
- energymatters.com.au (2021, April 27), How bees will benefit from the solar power boom, energymatters.com.au (https://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/how-bees-will-benefit-from-the-solar-power-boom/)
- energyrates.ca, The Main Electricity Sources in Canada by Province, energyrates.ca (https://energyrates.ca/the-main-electricity-sources-in-canada-by-province/)
- Jodi Helmer (Jan 14, 2019), Solar Farms Shine a Ray of Hope on Bees and Butterflies, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/solar-farms-shine-a-ray-of-hope-on-bees-and-butterflies/
- Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser, Energy mix, ourworldindata.org (https://ourworldindata.org/energy-mix)
- Rob Davis (2016, July 25), Can Solar Sites Help Save The Bees?, beeculture.com, https://www.beeculture.com/can-solar-sites-help-save-bees)
- sfu.ca (2022, June 24), Climate change negatively impacting bumble bees: Study, sfu.ca, (https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2022/06/climate-change-negatively-impacting-bumble-bees--study.html)
- Which countries get the most energy from low-carbon sources?, ourworldindata.org, (https://ourworldindata.org/energy-mix#which-countries-get-the-most-energy-from-low-carbon-sources)
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