While generating clean energy, solar farms are an exciting opportunity to support pollinators and agricultural communities. 

• Scott McArt, entomologist at Cornell, is partnering with Cypress Creek Renewables to determine the benefits of wildflower plantings on solar sites in central New York. 

• At Hampshire College, which is now 100% powered by solar energy, Seeta Sistla studies the affect of solar arrays on farmland. The combination unites energy production with ecological restoration and conservation of ecologically valuable land.

Photos of ground-mounted solar farms often depict shiny panels staked in barren, brown ground. For communities hesitant to accept and support solar, these photos can leave the impression that solar causes damage to land.

Bee-friendly plants will nurture hives at Connexus Energy site, and honey is the reward for subscribers and others.