Multi-use solar: Planning to deliver energy, biodiversity and productive farmland

When working on large-scale solar projects, how do we (collectively) ensure habitat creation and mitigation designed by ecologists is workable on the ground as construction actually starts?

Currently, there is a disconnect between the consenting team and the construction team. The teams work incrementally, but towards an undefined end point. We need to rethink this approach and start with an outline of the overall vision, asking ourselves, “What do we want to achieve?”, “What does that look like?” and “How do we do that?”. We should then work backwards from the answers to bridge any gaps in perception.