Beekeeping initiative launched at Mayo solar farm
Astatine team members and beekeeping support pictured beside six beehives set up at the Ballina Astatine site, from left: Hollie Polion (Marketing Intern, Astatine), Pamela Sutcliffe (Business Representative and Office Manager, Astatine), Jamel Neary (Local Beekeeper), Louis Bolger (Owner, The Business Beekeeper), Daniel Geraghty (Project Manager, Astatine) and Ivan Melvin (Site Manager, Astatine).
Irish energy transition specialist, Astatine, has announced a beehive biodiversity initiative that will be rolled out at the company’s solar PV (photovoltaic) installations across Ireland.
The Astatine team unveiled their first installation of six beehives at a solar energy site located at Ballina Beverages. The initiative will see up to 300,000 native Irish honeybees (Apis mellifera mellifera) thriving at each Astatine site during peak summer months, boosting biodiversity and enhancing the environmental benefits of renewable energy.
Tom Marren, CEO of Astatine, said: “Solar farms already play a key role in reducing carbon emissions, but they can also be powerful drivers for biodiversity. By introducing beehives, we’re creating a thriving habitat that supports pollination, strengthens local ecosystems, and benefits farmers, wildlife, and the wider community. Indeed, a report from UK’s leading bird conservation charity, the RSPB, last year, stated that solar farms can have three times more bird species than nearby arable farmland.”
The hives installed at the Ballina site will be tended by local beekeeper, Jamel Neary. Louis and David Bolger, the father and son pair who own and operate The Business Beekeeper (thebusinessbeekeeper.ie), will carry out regular inspections to ensure strong, healthy colonies. Honey harvests from the hives will be handled professionally, with colony welfare as the top priority.
"We have had a very favourable reaction from our clients to the beehive initiative, and we plan to install beehives at all of our project sites across Ireland. The initiative means that we are not only delivering clean energy for our clients, enabling them to meet their environmental commitments, but also supporting local biodiversity in such a tangible way."
