r/UpliftingNews • u/ArgentineBeauty • 4h ago

Two Minnesota solar farms planted native grasses and wildflowers beneath their panels. Five years later, flowering plant species had increased sevenfold, native bee numbers more than 20 fold and total insect numbers had tripled, while more bees were also visiting nearby soybean fields.

https://www.ecoticias.com/en/two-minnesota-solar-farms-turned-the-ground-beneath-their-panels-into-habitat-and-native-bee-abundance-rose-more-than-20-fold/36680/
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u/MyCoffeeIsCold 3h ago

Solar is great and has a place in our energy portfolio in the right locations.

We have had proposals to clear cut 60-70 acres of FOREST for solar projects here in New York. One of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

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u/applespicebetter 2h ago

I hate that, and it plays right into the hands of anti-renewable propaganda. Yes, they are just as likely to try to clear cut the same 60-70 acres for a data center, but they can point to proposals like this to point fingers and muddy the waters.

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u/MyCoffeeIsCold 2h ago

You should hate the renewable companies that will do anything to make a buck. The point of renewables is to have a cleaner earth. Cutting down a forest never accomplishes that. There are some good projects that make great sense and then there are the ones that give renewables a bad reputation

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u/applespicebetter 2h ago

I do, believe me. Every single publicly traded company in the US, in every sector, renewable energy included, is subject to the same law as any other company - it is their fiduciary duty to always enhance profits for the benefit of their shareholders, and the company can be held liable for failing to do so.

It is gross. Disgusting.