We believe our role is not only to combat climate change but to steward the environment so that it can flourish for generations to come. This extends beyond building our green energy capacity.
Ethical Power proactively develops the land we work on, often far exceeding the government-mandated Biodiversity Net Gain targets.
We also believe in the power of community engagement in environmental stewardship and support endeavours to help people become active participants in the fight against climate change.
Biodiversity Net Gain
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a way of developing or building a project which ensures that the habitats for flora and fauna are measurably improved during the process.
The methods of measuring BNG vary depending on your target, ie, plants, animals, insects, water-based species etc, no matter what you measure, you must leave the environment in a better condition than before you started using it.
Ethical Power has always guaranteed a significant biodiversity net gain for every project, and now the UK government has mandated that every grant of planning permission is subject to the condition that a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity is achieved.
How do we achieve Biodiversity Net Gain?
Biodiversity and conservation are vast and complicated subject matters. Fortunately, our Environment and Sustainability team have years of experience in promoting biodiversity all over the UK.
Here are some of the things we do on each project to help increase the volume and quality of natural habitats:
Tree Planting
We plant hundreds, sometimes thousands of trees on each site. Many of the trees we plant help screen the site from the view of those living and travelling near the site. Once the site is energized, the remaining trees are planted during the first planting season, usually in February.
Hedgerow Planting
Hedgerows, including the banks/trenches that run alongside them, not only provide shelter and nesting for many animals, but they also protect the land from wind and water damage while scrubbing CO2 from the atmosphere. We plant several kilometres of hedgerows at each site. These help provide habitats for local insects and animals, as well as anchor the soil in place during floods and heavy rain.
Hibernacula
A hibernaculum is a place animals and insects use for shelter, usually over winter. They come in all shapes and sizes, depending on who is using them, and are vital for the year-round success of local fauna. We make sure to not only respect established hibernacula but also to build new ones for the species we are attracting with our other biodiversity net gain measures.
Bird and Bat Nesting Sites
As part of our BNG commitments, we create or enhance the habitats birds and bats need to find food and complete their lifecycle. This often involves installing bird and bat boxes on and around each site to provide nesting sites for animals such as kestrels, magpies, and bats.
Mammal Territory
Many mammals, such as badgers and foxes, follow established routes when foraging for food. Human constructions, like roads, farms, and even solar sites, can obstruct these pathways or cause the animals to become trapped. To help these animals maintain their natural territories, we install mammal gates on the perimeter of each site we work on. These “badger gates” are unobtrusive and situated in a way that makes it easy for the animals to discover and use them.
Wildflower Meadows
Wildflower meadows are species-rich areas that provide a lot of natural benefits, not least in providing a mix of species for pollinators. From egg-laying spaces for butterflies to shelter for hedgehogs, amphibians, and insects, wildflower meadows are hugely important for biodiversity. We plant special wildflower mixes on our sites to encourage pollinators and promote the growth of meadow spaces. The type of mix we use depends on the area of the country the solar farm is located, as well as where on the site we are planting. For example, we may use an EM1 mix around the site, and an EM2 mix underneath the solar panels.
Established Flora
Existing trees on our sites are protected in one of several ways. Especially old or uncommon trees may be given a Tree Protection Order, which acts as a legal protection for the tree. All trees on site, even those without a TPO, will be allocated a Root Protection Area, which is a space around the tree we leave free of development to allow for unrestricted growth. In the event we need to remove a tree, it will either be moved to another location or another equivalent tree will be planted to replace it. We even keep dead branches from trees on-site, to help create hibernacula and promote decomposers such as mushrooms.
Grazers
On many of our sites, the landowner retains the use of the land for grazing, usually sheep. Where appropriate, we facilitate using the solar farm for sheep grazing by planting certain grasses on-site that are suitable for sheep, while arranging for safe access for the farmer and their sheep.
Recycling and the Hierarchy of Waste
Developing and building solar and battery projects can involve a lot of people and materials. Making sure we use these resources efficiently and sustainably is central to our values and environmental commitments.
We apply hierarchy of waste principles across our sites through the use of recycling, waste segregation, and life-cycle thinking.
Put simply, we apply “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to every aspect of our work, from the office to the construction site and operations.
Innovation and Decarbonisation
We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint wherever possible, a process that often involves finding new ways of working.
We have helped spearhead the use of precast self-compacting concrete across multiple projects has resulted in a considerable reduction in each project’s carbon footprint, as recognised by our “Utility Scale Solar and/or Storage Project of the Year” award at Solar and Storage Live 2024.
Other carbon reduction measures we employ include:
- Distance tracking for all project staff, internal and external
- Microgrid site powering systems
- Component delivery consolidation
- Hybrid generators for on-site power
- Preferential selection for local contractors and resources
We continue to engage with the best-in-class suppliers, ensuring their performance and ESG commitments are in line with ours.