Insects thrive on solar farms planted with native flowers

Sowing grasses and wildflowers among solar panels can bring big increases in bees and aid crop pollination in nearby fields, a four-year study in the US suggests.

The expansion of solar energy is sometimes seen as a threat to the environment because of the large amounts of land required, but solar developments can be designed to restore habitat and bring biodiversity gains.

Leroy Walston at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois and his colleagues…