Can Clean Energy Infrastructure Co-exist with People and Wildlife?

Climate change is now the most pervasive threat for species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and is predicted to lead to extinction of up to 31% of insects and 44% of vertebrate species globally under worst case scenarios. Furthermore, a warming climate worsens many other threats to people and biodiversity, including habitat loss, invasive species, and disease. This means we must address climate change in wildlife recovery efforts. But the scope and impacts of the climate crisis can seem daunting, leaving many wondering whether it’s possible to get greenhouse gas emissions under control. 

Fortunately, the science of climate solutions is now well-established, and the National Wildlife Federation and its partners are advancing a comprehensive suite of policy tools, grassroots actions, and technological approaches to greatly reducing human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. One of the most important tools in this arsenal is the deployment of renewable energy technology, such as solar and wind energy. 

However, concerns about the impacts of utility-scale (large, centralized) solar and wind arrays on wildlife and ecosystems have slowed the deployment of clean energy in many areas. Local communities are worried about large renewable projects, including effects on wildlife and their habitats. Yet, we need clean energy to save people and wildlife from the most catastrophic effects of climate change. How can we have both clean energy and healthy habitat in a post-fossil fuel world?

Best practices for siting solar and wind projects

In the U.S., rooftop solar panels could provide up to 45% of current electricity demand. In 2022, only 1.5% of U.S. electricity demand was provided by rooftop solar, so there is much more potential to produce distributed solar energy using existing buildings and parking lots.

Still, even at maximum capacity, rooftop solar alone won’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to reach U.S. and global climate goals. We’ll need to greatly accelerate rooftop and distributed solar, surmounting challenges in funding sources and affordability for families, while also finding additional locations for renewable energy projects.

The first consideration in siting new energy infrastructure should be whether a project’s location would further burden a community already disproportionately impacted by cumulative environmental and health burdens.

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to decision-making and tangible benefits of environmental regulations, policies, and their implementation.

At the National Wildlife Federation, we prioritize environmental justice in conservation solutions, recognizing that the burden of environmental degradation and pollution has often been unfairly placed on Indigenous, underserved, and otherwise over-burdened neighborhoods.

Although solar and wind facilities produce far less local pollution than many industrial activities, developers must be forthright about the details of construction methods, timelines, site designs, and possible impacts to air, water, noise, and habitat. Open and inclusive public participation, full disclosure of possible impacts, transparency in how community input shaped design and decision-making, and agreed upon community benefits are crucial components of the clean energy transition.

The second consideration is whether a renewable energy project might harm other species or their habitat. The mitigation hierarchy specifies that projects should avoid adverse impacts to nature, minimize any impacts that can’t be avoided, and compensate for remaining unavoidable impacts.

Mapping tools such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Critical Habitat Report, the National Wetlands Inventory, and the maps and documentation from your state’s wildlife agency, can and should be used to make sure projects avoid important areas for wildlife.

The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) provides an extensive list of maps and tools for siting to avoid placing new projects in sensitive areas like wetlands, rare ecosystems, nesting/roosting sites, migration corridors, and breeding grounds, and additional resources are available from state wildlife agencies and State Wildlife Action Plans.

Once these areas are avoided, there are additional steps to minimize disruptions to both people and wildlife. Both community as well as technical engagement on local issues is key. It’s important to collect baseline data and build an ongoing wildlife and environmental monitoring program, recognizing the great value of efforts that are community-driven. In addition, detailed recommendations are now available for designing offshore wind farms, onshore wind, solar arrays and transmission lines to minimize harm. 

Once all possible avoidance and mitigation measures have been implemented, projects should, and in some cases must, provide compensation for harm, especially for species that are imperiled or of conservation concern. Compensation can be used to protect and expand habitat to the benefit of multiple species, as well as local communities.

To get involved in local and regional energy planning, the best resources can often be found in your state. For example, the Georgia Wildlife Federation provides guidance to minimize impacts on wildlife and habitat in large solar projects in their region. 

More habitat = more clean energy

A key reason that energy needs compete with wildlife recovery efforts is because we have lost far too much healthy habitat. There is too little undegraded land left to support the many needs of people and wildlife. By accelerating efforts to restore and prevent the loss of important ecosystems, there will be many more options for siting and deploying clean energy projects. 

In some cases, renewable energy deployment can be coupled with habitat restoration to expand available habitat, instead of just avoiding impacts on wildlife. “Agrivoltaic” designs combine solar arrays with shade tolerant crops, which promotes the construction of new facilities on working agricultural lands instead of natural habitat.

“Ecovoltaic” or “conservoltaic” designs restore native habitat under and/or between solar panels, which is an exciting opportunity for bringing back ecosystems that have almost completely disappeared, like the tallgrass prairie. Scientists are also testing “crustivoltaics,” in which solar farms can be used as nurseries for restoration of the microbial biocrust that covers intact desert soils.

Research is underway to develop and rigorously test innovative solutions that expand habitat in concert with clean energy infrastructure. The need for continued innovation, testing, and science-based solutions is why the National Wildlife Federation advocates for federal investment in sound conservation science.

The reality is that to save wildlife and ourselves, we must support and accelerate the deployment of wildlife-friendly clean energy projects. To expand rooftop solar, local elections are key. Little known races to fill seats on public utility and corporation commissions have an outsized influence on renewable energy policy.

For larger infrastructure projects, community toolkits like our Clean Energy Transmission Toolkit for Community Participation can help you and your community access and participate in the planning process from start to finish. In a thriving future for wildlife, everyone should have equitable access to clean energy and healthy habitat, and to decisions that will stop the worst effects of climate change before it’s too late.