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Examining the Potential for Agricultural Benefits from Pollinator Habitat at Solar Facilities in the United States

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This study investigates the potential of establishing pollinator habitat within utility-scale solar energy (USSE) facilities in the United States, with a focus on its impact on insect pollinators and agricultural ecosystem services. The research identifies areas where USSE development and insect-pollinator-dependent crops intersect, revealing over 3,500 square kilometers of agricultural land near existing and planned USSE sites that could benefit from enhanced pollination services due to the creation of pollinator habitat. Notably, the study highlights the economic implications for specific crops like soybeans, almonds, and cranberries, indicating that solar-pollinator habitat could result in substantial economic benefits at the local level. While these findings are preliminary, they underscore the potential of solar-pollinator habitat to improve agricultural sustainability within large-scale renewable energy developments in agricultural landscapes.

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