Solar panel fields help increase honey production in photovoltaic beehives

Believe in the power of bees.

Derya Ozdemir
Solar panel fields help increase honey production in photovoltaic beehives
Honey farm with a solar power plant in the background.Enel Green Power

A place where bees, crops, animals, and photovoltaic panels coexist and thrive may very well be feasible.

In fact, modern solar technology combined with traditional techniques has improved the bee population and honey production in the Spanish town of Carmona, according to an initial report by Endesa.

In the town, roughly two and a half million bees coexist with sheep and aromatic plants in the middle of a solar facility. Run by the Endesa energy company, the project is called Solar Apiary and is a brilliant example of agrivoltaics, the simultaneous utilization of land for both solar power and agriculture.

Sun, bees, and “solar” honey

The solar plant project, which started operating at the end of 2020, has a total of 250,000 solar modules that produce an overall peak capacity of 100 MW, which is enough to power 30 thousand homes and prevent millions of tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

In this photovoltaic installation, the solar plant project — 100 MW and 200 hectares — combines agricultural usage  — 3 hectares of aromatic plants: sage, rosemary, oregano, and coriander — and beekeeping with 50 or 60 hives.

With a futuristic bee farm featuring innovative technologies and intelligent beehives within the photovoltaic park, beekeeping increases crop output by increasing the degree of pollination. In a prime example, bees are thriving in this corner of southern Spain, as reported by Juan Ignacio Lopez and his family, who have been keeping bees and producing honey in Carmona, in a CGTN article

“The apiary, otherwise known as a collection of beehives, sits in a vast expanse of wildflowers and plants which have been planted between the solar panels and allowed to grow naturally,” Lopez explained. “And that means no herbicides, no agricultural chemicals, which makes it a perfect habitat for bees and other pollinating insects.”

High-tech beehives

The hives, which are monitored from a special control center, are equipped with a wide range of special sensors to measure temperature and humidity and ensure bees stay healthy. The entrances to the hives are opened and closed at certain times to regulate internal air circulation. Moreover, the beekeepers can check on honey production remotely and even prevent theft thanks to GPS trackers. All of this allows for the production of “solar” honey.

And honey is not where solar energy’s adventure ends. In a bid to combine the sustainable use of the land and the protection of biodiversity on the sites of solar power plants, there are many other activities that the company is trailing. For example, some farms in New South Wales, Australia, have found that sheep grazing under the solar panels have produced better wool and more of it, while studies suggest transparent solar panels on greenhouses can help farmers reduce their carbon footprint.