Funding:
£4,970

Solar Futures is an innovative cross-disciplinary project aimed at addressing the challenge of promoting biodiversity within solar farms, particularly as the transition to solar powered renewable energy sources gains momentum. Following the Net Zero targets, the UK's goal to generate 70GW of solar energy by 2035 poses a significant challenge in balancing energy production, biodiversity conservation, and addressing stakeholders' concerns about land use. Our project adopts a Participatory Design (PD) approach which is rooted upon biodiversity-centric principles. PD actively engages a diverse array of stakeholders, irrespective of their expertise, in creating prototypes that stimulate discussions regarding solar farms' impact on the environment and society. This approach is seamlessly integrated with scientific data pertaining to design and management practices that enhance biodiversity within solar farms. We build upon insights from projects like Solar Park Impacts on Ecosystem Services (SPIES) and collaborate with our partner, Wychwood Biodiversity, which provides valuable data on effective design and management of biodiversity in solar farms.

In practice, we will run PD workshops in which various stakeholders such as communities, biodiversity conservation bodies, solar industry and local authorities. The site of inquiry will be the recently approved development of a 16.6MW Forrest Hills Solar Farm in Lancaster. Each group will materialise their visions through prototypes and storyboards that encapsulate their unique visions for solar farms and their impact on biodiversity. These visions will be contrasted and moderated with the scientific data provided by our partner and academic institution. Prototypes and storyboards will be used to identify current tensions, common understandings, and information gaps across the different sectors involved. Subsequent stages involve collaborative online exhibition (via a dedicated interactive website) and public events (dissemination webinar) to inform and engage the wider public in general discussions of solar energy and its impacts on biodiversity. The objective is to broaden the views of each sector and identify routes for the development of the solar energy industry that benefit the environment and society.