Solar

Solar energy is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable power. Large-scale solar installations require significant areas of land. Without careful planning, site selection and habitat assessment, they can generate biodiversity impacts that affect lender approval, regulatory consent and community buy-in, as well as longer term project performance.

Our expertise 

The Biodiversity Consultancy works with solar developers and lenders from early strategic planning through to operations, on projects of all sizes and across multiple geographies. Through our work on solar projects, we’ve demonstrated that biodiversity net gain or no net loss is achievable within a solar PV project area – through careful site selection, biodiversity prioritisation, loss/gain analysis and a mitigation strategy designed to balance the needs of nature and the project. 

International guidance on nature mitigation for solar and wind 

We’ve worked on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to develop guidelines on mitigating biodiversity impacts associated with solar and wind energy development. Produced in collaboration with energy sector partners and leading conservation NGOs, the guidelines bring together leading practice and case studies from across industry – they are essential reading for developers and planners considering solar and wind energy projects. 

Lender requirements and good practice in Dominican Republic’s solar sector 

In the Dominican Republic, we supported developers and lenders in evaluating and managing biodiversity risks across eight solar projects, with a combined planned capacity of approximately 400 MW. We developed measures and actions plans following the mitigation hierarchy, in line with lender standards and national regulations. This supported the developers’ essential regulatory compliance, and supports progress towards the Dominican Republic’s 2030 renewable energy target.​