1000 Species Discovered in Post-Operational Solar Power Plant Ecological Survey [Pacifico Flora and Fauna Encyclopedia]
Pacifico Energy constructs and operates solar power plants with consideration for nature.
Specifically, we implement the following initiatives:
Former golf course sitesand other previously developed areas are selected whenever possible.
Voluntarily conducting natural environment surveysduring the construction planning phase, and implementing changes to construction plansor transplanting rare speciesto avoid or mitigate impacts.
The ground surface after construction is not paved with concrete, but instead greenedby spraying seeds.
Improving water quality and increasing biological species by not using herbicides or pesticidesduring operation.
Creating a friendly environment for flora and fauna by installing gently sloped retention pondswithin flood control dams.
Conducting surveys even after construction is completeto observe species that have returned to the power plant or newly increased species, seeking coexistence with flora and fauna.
Through these efforts, we have the hypothesis and expectation that ecosystems once lost due to construction will recover and return quickly. What is the actual situation?
To clarify the actual state of the natural environment at solar power plants after they have begun operation, Pacifico Energy selected three solar power plants that have been in operation for several years and conducted natural environment surveys by experts. The survey period covered all four seasons from June 2021 to May 2022.
1. Furukawa Solar Power Plant (Miyagi Prefecture)
The Furukawa Solar Power Plant was converted from a mountain golf course in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, and began operation in December 2016. As of the 2021 survey, five years have passed since construction was completed. Recovery of species is expected over time.
According to the survey, 375 plant species, 12 mammal species, 51 bird species, 10 amphibian/reptile species, 35 aquatic species, and 549 terrestrial insect species were confirmed within the solar power plant site. Among these, 16 species were designated as important species.
2. Hosoe Solar Power Plant (Miyazaki Prefecture)
The Hosoe Solar Power Plant was built on a mountain golf course site in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, and began operation in February 2018. To avoid regional damage from floods and landslides, a massive 700,000-cubic-meter disaster prevention dam was newly installed, but a shallow retention pond was created within the dam to keep water stored at all times, forming a waterside and wetland environment.
According to the survey, 568 plant species, 12 mammal species, 59 bird species, 12 amphibian/reptile species, 68 aquatic species, and 209 terrestrial insect species were confirmed within the solar power plant site. Among these, 29 species were designated as important species. In particular, flora and fauna that prefer wetland environments have gathered around the retarding basin, and many water birds and aquatic organisms have been found. By installing a pipeline to supply natural rainwater to the river where fireflies inhabit during construction, four species of fireflies have been observed even after construction. It is also a pleasing fact that 29 important species were found within the power plant.
3. Minami Solar Power Plant (Gifu Prefecture)
The Minami Solar Power Plant was converted from a mountain golf course in Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture, and began operation in July 2019. The plan was to blur the boundary between the golf course and the surrounding forest, and to minimize the developed area as much as possible. As of the 2021 survey, only two years have passed since construction was completed, but it is expected that many species can be confirmed.
According to the survey, 269 plant species, 15 mammal species, 51 bird species, 17 amphibian/reptile species, 88 aquatic species, and 252 terrestrial insect species were confirmed within the solar power plant site. Among these, 16 species were designated as important species.
The Solar Farm's Botanical and Zoological Garden
As we have seen above, it has become clear that a very large number of flora and fauna species inhabit the three power plants.A total of 1,032 species were confirmed at Furukawa, 928 at Hosoe, and 692 at Minami.According to experts, there seem to be the following reasons.
Low human traffic
No pesticides or herbicides are sprayed
Grassland environments are maintained through mowing in the panel area
Surrounding forests are left intact
New waterfronts with gentle slopes and wetland environments have been installed
In particular, by not using herbicides, diverse herbaceous plants grow, insects that feed on them increase, and it becomes an environment where birds and animals gather.
The experts who conducted the survey have provided advice for increasing the number of flora and fauna species in the future, such as transplanting rare species to other ponds when dredging sediment accumulated in disaster prevention dams, leaning branches or similar items against deep drainage channels to act as ramps so that small animals that fall in can climb out, and artificially creating puddles in the panel area since amphibians have been confirmed in puddles there.
While there are times when conflicts arise between considering human life and considering the natural environment, we would like to continue our efforts to create a better environment for both.
We would like to clarify how flora and fauna species change over time by continuing our surveys, and we are thinking of expanding the scope of our surveys beyond these three locations.
The content introduced above is published at the following link, so please take a look if you are interested.
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