ABOUT EDEN RENEWABLES Eden Renewables was founded in 2017 by the team behind the award-winning UK solar company, Solstice Renewables, which became known for its innovative, “In 2016, Minnesota legislators OUR TEAM community focused, sustainable approach. unanimously adopted the nation’s HARRY LOPES GIOVANNI MARUCA Eden is an international developer of solar and energy frst standard for pollinator-friendly CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT storage projects with a pipeline of sites across the UK, OFFICER OFFICER East Coast USA and in sub-Saharan Africa through solar, now adapted to more than our partner, GridX Africa. a dozen states and adopted into law ALEC GREENWELL DR. GUY PARKER DEVELOPMENT BIODIVERSITY Based at our UK ofces near Marlborough, Wiltshire by several. Learning from Solstice and in London we are working on several utility-scale Renewables’ best practices and MALCOLM EVANS solar projects; commercial & industrial such as rooftops, ROSS WOLHUTER viewing the images of their sites TECHNICAL ELECTRICAL EV charging and solar carports; and battery storage. was a major contributor to the work SOPHY FEARNLEY- Eden is known for setting industry-leading standards LORNA LYLE of US scientists and stakeholders WHITTINGSTALL EDUCATION on our solar farms for: to establish standards here.” COMMUNITY • Biodiversity and ecological enhancement ROB DAVIS, FRESH ENERGY REBECCA SYMON • Continuing agricultural use COORDINATOR • Community and educational benefts • Shared or community ownership “Projects such as AWARD these could lead to self-sustaining nature WINNING reserves, which would be a huge boost TEAM to wildlife, the local environment and the local community.” LANCASHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST Best ground-mount project: WINNER SOLSTICE RENEWABLES AWARDS 2015 WHY SOLAR POWER? CLIMATE EMERGENCY SUBSIDY FREE In 2019 the UK government became the frst in the Following the withdrawal of government support “I want you world to set a legally binding target of Net Zero carbon Solar is now for solar in 2017, costs have fallen and technology emissions by 2050. Two-thirds of UK councils, including improved so that large-scale solar farms can be to act as Wiltshire, have declared climate emergencies. We have ‘cheapest developed in the right places and conditions if the house an urgent need to decarbonise our energy supplies without subsidies. is on fre, and solar power is quick and easy to deploy, with a light because it is.” impact on the land. electricity LOW IMPACT Solar electricity is carbon free. Taking into account the GRETA THUNBERG manufacturing and installation, a solar farm is expected in history’, to pay back its energy and carbon footprint within 1.5 years of its 40 year lifetime. confirms IEA (Fraunhofer Institute Report, Sept 2020, & others) UK GOAL COUNCILS DECLARE CLIMATE NET ZERO EMERGENCY LOW COST REDUCING AIR POLLUTION BY 2050 Large-scale solar is now the cheapest form of new Generating energy from fossil fuels can be harmful electricity generation in the UK, forecast to deliver power to air and water quality. Solar PV produces for £44/MWh by 2025 – a fraction of the cost of Hinkley no pollutants to damage the air we breathe nuclear power station. The more solar we have, the lower and the water we drink. “If we could harness one our energy bills can be. 5,000th part of the energy that the sun sprays on the earth every 24 hours ELECTRICITY GENERATION COSTS 2025-40 £140 CCGT we could provide all the £120 energy requirements £100 of the entire human race.” £80 SIR DAVID £60 ONSHORE WIND ATTENBOROUGH £40 OFFSHORE WIND SOLAR £20 £0 2025 2030 2035 2040 AGRICULTURE, BIODIVERSITY & ECOLOGY • Additional hedgerow and tree planting provides Solar Site Pollinator Habitat Scorecard For site and seed mix planning, designing, and assessment. Pollinator planting area shall always be UK BIODIVERSITY INDICATOR: CHANGE IN RELATIVE SAWMILLS SOLAR FARM managed to prevent and eliminate invasive species as defned in 6 V.S.A. chapter 217 § 5101(2). Scorecards must be renewed every three years or sooner. Standards below refer either to the site plan or an established ABUNDANCE OF UK PRIORITY SPECIES, 1970 TO 2016 site. The site area is consistent with the ‘Limits of Disturbance’ per Net Meter Rule 5.103. further habitat enhancement as well as screening. DIVERSITY BUTTERFLIES + BUMBLEBEES 2015-19 Image courtesy Fresh-Energy ABUNDANCE INDICATOR (214 SPECIES) 1. Percent site’s vegetative cover is fowering species 5. Observed pollinator nesting habitat within 0.25 miles 10 (select one) (select all that apply) BUTTERFLIES 1-15 percent (5 points) ✔ Bare ground patches one square foot or larger, with 120 9 16-30 percent (10 points) undisturbed and well-drained soil (2 points) • Ponds, bat and bird boxes and beehives and BUMBLEBEES 31-45 percent (15 points) ✔ Forest edge habitat that includes fowering shrubs and young trees (2 points) 8 46-60 percent (20 points) ✔ Cavity nesting sites (e.g., dead trees, snags, fallen 7 2. Flowering perennial species to be used logs, shrubs, plants with pithy-stemmed twigs such as 100 hibernacula for amphibians at most of our sites. (select all that apply) sumac, rose, raspberry) (2 points) ✔ Includes species of Northern New England and Creation of nesting habitat features (e.g. boxes, 6 adjacent New York provenance (5 points) tunnels) (0.2 points per feature) ✔ Amount of seed to be planted (lbs/acre) is determined # features: 10 x 0.2 = 2.00 points 5 according to seed provider’s recommended application 80 rate and/or planting density for planted species in the 6. Pollinator management practices (select all that apply) 4 target area (5 points) • We regularly monitor progress with annual Mowing occurs only after October 15, and before May Includes only VT native or naturalized perennial 1 each year; mowing height is 5” or higher (5 points) 3 species. (15 points) Species native to the biophysical region preferred. ✔ Detailed establishment & management plan (10 points) Detailed plant & wildlife monitoring plan (10 points) 1970=100) 60 3. Cover diversity within the ground cover area ✔ 2 (# of fowering plant species that constitute >2 percent cover ecological surveys. These consistently show SPECIES OF NUMBER 7. Pesticide risk (select if applicable) each; select one) On-site insecticide use on plants (includes prior 1 1-9 species (5 points) application to seeds/plants.) (-40 points) 40 10-19 species (10 points) growth in abundance of wild fowers and grasses, 0 20 or more species (15 points) 8. Vegetation bufer adjacent to the solar site (select all that INDEX( apply) 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 4. Seasons with at least 3 blooming species with >2 percent ✔ At least 50% of bufer area vegetative cover planted cover each (select all that apply) with fowering plant species (5 points) 20 with increased numbers and varieties of species ✔ Spring (10 points) At least 50% of bufer area vegetative cover planted ✔ Early summer (5 points) with VT native or naturalized shrub species (5 points) SAWMILLS SOLAR FARM Species native to the biophysical region preferred. ✔ Late summer (5 points) Bufer at least 30 feet wide (10 points) of bumblebees and breeding birds. ABUNDANCE OF BUTTERFLIES + BUMBLEBEES 2015-19 Fall (5 points) ✔ 0 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2016 Site Owner or Designee: Belltown Power Limited Pollinator-Friendly 6 Date: 20/11/18 Source: jncc.gove.uk/ukbi-C4a BUTTERFLIES Score: 93.0 Vegetation Consultant: Wychwood Biodiversity • Apiaries produce honey at many of our sites. 5 Meets “Pollinator-friendly Solar” Standard: 70-84 Seed Supplier: BUMBLEBEES Provides Excellent Habitat: >85 4 Project Address: Sawmills, Devon Project Size: Target Seeding Date: New Retroft Revised Scorecard Attached Seed Mix Specs or Management Plans 3 The signator certifes that the solar site adheres to this Scorecard in accordance with 6 V.S.A. chapter 217. The practices called for in this Scorecard are subordinate to any requirements of applicable State permits, agency rule or guidance. All solar projects must comply with applicable Vermont Public Utility Commission and Agency of Natural Resources permit conditions, even if those conditions • Continued agricultural use by sheep grazing which confict with practices favored by this Scorecard. The UK is not only facing a climate crisis, it is facing 2 Upload completed scorecard at: go.uvm.edu/pollinator-friendly-solar maintains the grass and regenerates the soil. This form was produced by the Pollinator-Friendly Solar Initiative of Vermont: Version 9-28-2018 an ecological crisis too. 1 INDIVIDUALS PER 100m Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, 0 and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, ofer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 In Britain, wildfower meadows have decreased by 97% since the 1930s due to intensive farming practices. The decline in pollinators like bees and butterfies “A shining example “Solar farms could is particularly worrying, and has an economic as well of how you can turn be a real asset in our as environmental impact – they are thought to be worth around £400m a year to the UK economy. a basic, unremarkable countryside by giving grassland site into declining wildlife like • Land around and under panels is sown with a mixture of native wildfowers and grasses to provide food an improved site bees and farmland and habitat for a range of wildlife; we can sometimes and newt haven.” birds a home.” target specifc endangered species. BEEHIVES BAT BOXES LANCASHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST RSPB COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS We believe that people living near a solar farm should share in the economic benefts it brings as well as the environmental ones.