Lee Walston

Stories

Minnesota solar farms planted with native habitat see native bees multiply 20-fold

Active at Argonne, publishing on solar-pollinator habitat and agrivoltaics

In 2018, Enel Green Power seeded two retired farm fields in southern Minnesota with native grasses and wildflowers beneath its solar panels. By 2022, native bee numbers had grown 20-fold, total insects had tripled, and flowering plant species had increased sevenfold.

Updated Oct 26