As countries scale up climate action, they face the challenge of expanding renewable power while tackling biodiversity loss. Transitioning away from fossil fuels can reduce climate-related pressure on biodiversity but brings its own risks. If not carefully managed, the increase in renewable power infrastructure could undermine efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. How does renewable power infrastructure impact biodiversity? How can countries plan a power sector transition that aligns with both climate and biodiversity goals? What policy instruments can guide the renewable power industry to mitigate adverse impacts and seek positive outcomes for biodiversity? OECD Biodiversity Analyst and author Edward Perry presented key findings and recommendations from the report "Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Energy Infrastructure". Panellists discussed how to protect biodiversity as we scale up renewable power, and was joined by country experts to discuss how to protect biodiversity as we scale up renewable power. The webinar was moderated by Kumi Kitamori, Deputy Director of the OECD Environment Directorate. The report synthesises evidence on biodiversity impacts from renewable power infrastructure, with a focus on solar power, wind power and powerlines. Drawing on good practice insights from across the globe, it offers governments recommendations for mainstreaming biodiversity into power sector planning and policy.

1. Mainstreaming Biodiversity into
Renewable Power
Infrastructure
Edward Perry
Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division
OECD Environment Directorate

2. Overview
1. Renewable power and biodiversity: Context for action
2. Biodiversity impacts of solar power, wind power and powerlines
3. Mainstreaming biodiversity into power sector planning
4. Policy instruments for mainstreaming biodiversity

3. 1. Renewable power and
biodiversity: Context for action

4. Renewable power must increase to mitigate
climate change
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2022 2030 2040 2050
EJ
Electricity Fuels and other
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
90000
2022 2030 2040 2050
TWh
Fossil fuels unabated Fossil fuels with CCUS Hydrogen and ammonia
Nuclear Solar PV and wind Other renewables
Source: IEA (2023), World Energy Outlook
NZE = net zero emissions; PV = photovoltaics
World electricity sector under NZE 2050 Scenario
World final energy consumption under NZE 2050 Scenario

5. Expansion of renewables could conflict with
biodiversity objectives
886 protected areas
749 key biodiversity areas
40 wilderness areas
One-third of areas with high solar and wind power potential have
high biodiversity value
Solar and wind sited where resources highest could convert 11 million ha
of natural lands ...releasing 415 million tonnes of carbon
Sources: Rehbein et al. 2020; Santangeli et al. 2015; Kiesecker et al. 2019

6. Critical to align climate and biodiversity action
 Synthesise evidence of renewable
power impacts
 Share insights and good practices
for mainstreaming biodiversity in
power sector planning and policy for
renewable power
Solar Wind
Transmission
and distribution
lines

7. 2. Biodiversity impacts of solar
power, wind power and power
lines

8. Direct
species
mortality
Renewables impact biodiversity in various ways
Direct
species
mortalit
y
Habitat
fragmentation
and barrier
effects
Invasive alien
species
impacts
Habitat loss
and
degradation
Behavioural
changes and
displacement
Ecosystem
service
impacts
Indirect
impacts
Habitat
alteration or
creation
(e.g. reef effect)

9. Key concerns are cumulative and population-
level effects
How do impacts accumulate over time?
How do impacts combine with impacts from other renewable
power facilities and other pressures?
How may impacts scale with renewable power expansion?
What are the effects on species populations?

10. Knowledge base has improved but gaps remain
...cumulative and population-level effects
Technology (e.g. solar and offshore wind)
Species (e.g. non avian-species)
Ecosystems (e.g. marine)
Geographies (e.g. developing countries)

11. Emerging
solutions
Markers to
increase power
line visibility
Siting, micro-
siting and
re-routing to
avoid collision
risk
Undergrounding
power lines to
avoid collision
risk
Bird rejectors
and insulators
to minimise
electrocution
risk
Biodiversity-
friendly mowing
or grazing
Biodiversity-
friendly fencing
to minimise
barrier effects
Siting on
degraded land
and restoring
habitat
Scheduling
construction to
avoid
disturbance to
wildlife
Siting or micro-
siting to avoid
sensitive
habitats and
collision risk
Shutdown on
demand of
turbines to
minimise
collision risk for
birds and bats
Increasing cut-
in speed to
minimise
collision risk for
bats
Piling protocols
to avoid or
minimise
disturbance to
marine
mammals

12. Measures can be effective but further research
and standardised monitoring is necessary
Retrofitting insulation on
pylons in Mongolia reduced
raptor mortality by 85%
Shutdown on demand at
Spanish wind farms
reduced soaring bird
mortality 62% and cost
0.5% in energy production
Increasing cut-in speed of
turbines to 5 m/s could
reduce annual mortality
33%-79%
Sources: Dixon et al., 2018; Ferrer et al., 2022; Whitby, Shirmacher and Frick, 2021

13. 3. Mainstreaming biodiversity
into power sector planning

14. Several entry points for mainstreaming
biodiversity into power sector planning
 Energy planning models
 Spatial plans (renewable energy zones)
 Appraisal (evaluation) tools
Wildlife sensitivity mapping:
“Site Renewables Right” (Central US)
The Nature Conservancy (2022)

15. Strategies for low-risk expansion of renewable
power
Optimise use of rooftops and other infrastructure
Maximising rooftop solar could reduce land-use from utility scale
renewable power in California by 220-445 km2 by 2050
Capitalise on already converted land
Sufficient converted land exists globally to deliver 17 times
required renewable power to meet emission reduction targets
Co-locate renewable power infrastructure to
reduce land use and harness synergies
e.g. integrated wind-solar facilities; agrivoltaics
Sources: Wu et al. 2019; Baruch-Mordo et al. 2019

16. Mainstreaming biodiversity in planning provides
certainty to developers, regulators and stakeholders
Siting solar in areas of low biodiversity value can reduce project
costs by up to 14% in US
 Reduced permitting time
 Reduced impact mitigation measures
Source: Dashiell, Buckley and Mulvaney, 2019[52]

17. 4. Policy instruments for
mainstreaming biodiversity into
renewable power infrastructure

18. Governments can leverage various policy
instruments
• Spatial planning (zoning)
• Environmental licensing and
permitting
• SEA and EIA
• Standards for infrastructure
design and operation
• Monitoring, data sharing and
disclosure requirements
• RBC due diligence
requirements
Regulatory
• Biodiversity offsets
• Government support for
research on biodiversity
impacts and R&D or mitigation
solutions
Economic instruments
• Biodiversity-explicit
procurement policies, tender
processes and PPA
• Voluntary industry guidelines
• Ecolabelling (e.g. pollinator-
friendly solar)
• Voluntary corporate
commitments
• Investor performance
standards
Information, voluntary and
other instruments

20. For more information