The Center for Pollinators in Energy

Welcome to the Center for Pollinators in Energy, a national clearinghouse and catalyzer of pollinator-friendly solar information, standards, best practices, and state-based initiatives.

Bees, monarchs, and other critical pollinators are disappearing, and scientists agree that loss of habitat is a primary concern. Because the United States solar industry first took off in the desert Southwest, a standard practice for the land on solar sites is gravel and/or monocrop lawn grass.

That changed in 2016 when Fresh Energy, Audubon Minnesota, and the Minnesota Corn Growers worked with agricultural and business leaders to establish the nation’s first statewide standard for vegetation on solar sites.

Highlighted by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Conservation Training Center, Fresh Energy has become a nationally-recognized source of expert knowledge on solar sites planted with deep-rooted native flowers and grasses that capture and filter storm water, build topsoil, and provide abundant and healthy food for bees and other insects that provide critical services to our food and agricultural systems.

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