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Gifts from The Morning Star
Can solar installations help foster biodiversity?
JENNIFER CLARE BALL reports on how a new solar park in Sacramento County not only produces clean energy but also creates habitat for pollinator species

AT THE end of last year, workers in Sacramento County, California, completed construction of a 16.5-megawatt solar park on what was once open ranchland. 

In December, the Rio Linda solar farm began producing enough energy to power 2,600 homes annually. 

Usually, the ground underneath big solar installations is scraped and covered with gravel or low grass, but if you drive by this solar farm, you’ll be treated to a different view: an array of pollinator-friendly native plants and wildflowers like purple needlegrass and California poppy. 

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