As part of its effort to go green, Dominion Energy is exploring the potential for honey-bee hives on solar farms through a pilot program at Black Bear Solar in Buckingham County.
In operation since 2023, Black Bear Solar covers roughly 13 acres, producing enough energy to power nearly 400 homes. The site is a small part of Dominion Energy’s expansion of solar farms, prompted by the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act. In line with the legislation, the power company will move to completely renewable energy sources by 2045.
“About a decade ago, we didn’t have a single Dominion-owned solar farm in operation,” says Tim Eberly, senior communications specialist. “Now, we have more than 60 solar farms around the state and they generate enough power to power more than 650,000 homes.”
For farmers, the rapid expansion of solar farms in Virginia presents potential challenges due to competition for ideal land.
Dominion started its venture into agrivoltaics—the joint use of land for agriculture and solar farms—with sheep, which are still used to help maintain grass at some solar sites in the commonwealth. By bringing in honey bees, the power company hopes to bolster the local pollinator population, and, as a result, agriculture.
Not every solar farm is a good fit for honey bees, though. Before moving forward with the pilot program, beekeeper Chuck Burden examined the area of Black Bear Solar to make sure the site could support new hives.
“These honey bees have a three-mile foraging radius, so they’re seeking out pollinator plants and crops … looking for nectar and pollen from flowers and crops they can then bring back to their beehives,” says Eberly of Burden’s work to check nearby farms for pesticides and any other harmful chemicals.
“We didn’t want to bring in these beehives and have them competing with any existing bees in that area, or existing pollinators.”
Approximately 180,000 honey bees now live on the solar farm. If all goes well, Dominion anticipates adding more hives to Black Bear Solar this spring, potentially expanding the program and other new agrivoltaics initiatives to additional sites as appropriate.
“It’s very much in the research phase right now, but … we’re looking at the prospect of pairing actual farming with solar,” says Eberly. Details of the potential program are limited as it is still early in development, but may include “a very small pilot project where we might have a row of crops or vegetables … on a solar site.”
Closer to Charlottesville, Dominion is working to establish a new solar farm at the former site of the Ivy Solid Waste & Recycling Center. No feasibility studies for any agrivoltaics programs at the site have been conducted yet, but there are plans to evaluate the location for appropriate initiatives.