Protecting wildlife through renewable energy: The Ecotricity approach

Under and between the solar panels at our sun parks, we establish species-rich grasslands. These wildflower meadows restore lost habitats and provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies and countless other insects that are vital to healthy ecosystems.

Around our sites, we plant wildlife corridors and carefully manage hedgerows so they can flower and fruit naturally. This creates safe passage and feeding grounds for birds and small mammals, helping nature to thrive alongside our energy generation.

We also pay close attention to access. Our security fencing is designed with gaps that allow badgers, hares and rabbits to move freely through the landscape, rather than fragmenting habitats.

By stopping annual ploughing and eliminating artificial fertilisers and pesticides, the soil itself is given time to recover. Organic matter increases, invertebrates return and microbial activity flourishes, which are all signs of land coming back to life.

Globally, agriculture and deforestation account for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, with animal farming responsible for about 60% of those agricultural emissions. By shifting towards plant-based diets, we could free up vast areas of land – enough to feed everyone while rewilding the countryside, restoring peat bogs and increasing tree cover.

There’s another issue many people don’t realise - animals are used to generate energy. Manure from factory farms is burned as biomass or processed in anaerobic digestion plants to produce biomethane. While animals only provide a small proportion of UK energy, their involvement ends up in the fuel mix of many major suppliers.

We asked ourselves a simple question: Wouldn’t energy be greener and more ethical if animals weren’t involved at all? So, we reviewed every source of our energy and removed anything linked to animal exploitation. Today, Ecotricity is the only energy company in the world certified as vegan by both the Vegan Society and Viva!.

This commitment takes shape in the Three R’s: reintroduce, rewild and replant. With your support, these projects are already underway.

Last year, Chris Packham joined Ecotalk as Chief Ecologist to help accelerate the restoration of Britain’s natural landscapes through ambitious rewilding projects in East Sussex and Devon.

In Sussex, Bowyers Wood combines multi-species woodland with open fields full of flower-rich meadow potential. In Devon, the Downicary project is transforming a river-fringed valley of pasture into marshy scrapes and historic wet woodland. These are living, breathing examples of what nature recovery can look like.

Our founder, Dale Vince, said “Chris brings unrivalled passion and knowledge, he’s exactly who we need to lead this work – it’s the perfect match".

That means our sun parks don’t just generate green energy, they also store carbon and support wildlife at the same time. It’s a powerful example of how renewable energy, ethical choices and nature recovery can work together.

This World Nature Day, we’re proud to show that a greener future isn’t just about cutting emissions – it’s about restoring life to the land and leaving every place better than we found it.