DEQ began permitting solar projects in 2009. Increasing demand for alternative energy sources continues to make solar project infrastructure more accessible. Unsurprisingly, solar energy has become the most robust renewable energy source in Virginia.

While the expansion of solar energy improves energy resiliency, it also poses an array of land use shifts and considerations. Requiring less up-front costs, solar developers traditionally vegetate their solar sites with turf grasses. This approach poses an array of concerns, such as:

• frequent mowing costs
• erosion and sedimentation issues
• fines and/or project delays from failure to comply with state regulations

In reality, short-term up-front development savings can result in long-term costly consequences. For this very reason, state environmental specialists have formulated an alternative approach that provides project managers with expertise on how to maintain a high-functioning solar site.

Comprehensive best-practices for site management are essential to maintaining ecological integrity as solar projects continue to enter the state's landscape.

Native plants are uniquely adapted to the local conditions in which they evolved. This makes them more resistant to environmental harms, such as extreme weather shifts and diseases, when compared to non-native species. Native species sustain Virginia's pollinators, ultimately supporting Virginia's crop harvests and habitat connectivity.

On solar sites, the benefits of planting native species are plentiful. In lieu of traditional turf grasses, native species on solar sites are associated with:

• reductions in routine maintenance
• higher carbon capture, and therefore a lower carbon footprint site
• minimized soil and water runoff
• increased lifespan of solar panels

To read more about the ecological and financial benefits of supporting pollinators in the energy industry, please reference The Center for Pollinators in Energy. 

The process of developing a Pollinator-Smart Solar Site is outlined in depth by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation's Comprehensive Manual.

A site suitability analysis evaluates local hydrology, soil factors, and pre-existing site conditions to inform re-vegetation efforts at the forefront of the application process. Applicants can utilize the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Native Plant Finder to support vegetation planning. An optional vegetation management plan promotes a comprehensive approach to re-vegetating with native plants. Applicants describe attainment with maintenance best-practices, a project schedule, reporting requirements, and more. 

Scorecards, created by ecological experts to evaluate relevant re-vegetation criteria (grass diversity, invasive species threats, etc.), are critical to the application process. They are used to model pollinator-friendly conditions in a site's geographically-specific context. The Review Board determines Pollinator-Smart certification eligibility based on a wholistic review of scorecard submittals. Depending on a site's ultimate score, they may receive a Certified Virginia Pollinator-Smart status (80-99 points) or Gold Certified Virginia Pollinator-Smart status (100+ points).

Following certification, seeding and integrated management strategies support a solar site's transition towards pollinator-friendliness. Biennial site monitoring begins in year two and lasts through year ten to determine compliance with Pollinator-Smart conditions. Should a site require remediation, a qualified professional assists in restoring these conditions.

Following the retention of Pollinator-Smart status throughout the ten-year monitoring period, sites must submit a long-term vegetation management plan. Sites are then released from monitoring requirements and receive a Lifetime Pollinator-Smart Certification.