Inventory of Birds in Sweden’s Largest Solar Park

How do large-scale solar parks affect different bird species, and which species choose to nest within a constructed solar park? There is limited data available regarding enhancing measures and monitoring of the natural environment within Swedish solar parks. At Helios Nordic Energy, we are passionate about the motto ‘knowledge is key’ and are therefore gradually working to expand our knowledge base on the subject.

This year, we have conducted inventories in both constructed and planned solar parks. Kungsåra solar park in Västmanland County, which was completed in the fall of 2023, was surveyed in June for nesting and foraging birds. The inventory showed that several red-listed species were present within the solar park. Both the reed bunting^NT, yellowhammer^NT, and whinchat^NT were assessed to be nesting, while species such as the swift^EN, gray crow^NT, and starling^VU (200 individuals) were foraging within the solar park. The yellowhammer and whinchat are species negatively affected by intensified agriculture and the use of pesticides.

The solar park results in a change in land management that we hope will benefit the bird species that have previously been affected by, among other things, early mowing, says Anna Hassel, ecologist and project developer at Helios.

Yellowhammer in agricultural land. Source: Shutterstock.com

The land within the Kungsåra solar park primarily consists of former agricultural land that after the construction has been sown with a custom made seed mixture of flowering species. This summer, 90 sheep have been grazing the area slowly and steadily to avoid disturbing bird nesting and to allow the sown plants to bloom throughout the season. The presence of yellowhammer and whinchat is therefore exciting since it shows that suitable nesting environments exist within the solar park. Through continued monitoring it will be possible to follow the effects of the changed land management over time.

During the summer months, butterflies and bumblebees have also been surveyed several times in a planned solar park in Uppsala County. Migrating, resting, and nesting birds have been surveyed within the same project. The plan is to conduct follow-up surveys once the solar park is in place.

-This will provide us with valuable data that will enable us to compare both the diversity and quantity of species before and after a solar park is in place, continues Anna.

The monitoring of nature in solar parks is part of the company’s efforts to combine renewable energy with biodiversity. The inventories will provide the company with an important part of the equation to further refine the selection of enhancing measures for the environment.

Pearly Heath butterfly in a planned solar park in Uppsala County. Photo: Anna Hassel