Solar park developer and operator ENERPARC can clearly demonstrate the positive development of the skylark population in the Lauterbach open-space solar park (Hesse) with data collected over five years by a commissioned planning office and two AI-supported monitoring systems.
The evaluation of the annual mapping carried out since the planning of the plant in 2018 and from 2022 onwards after completion of construction work shows that the 55-hectare area has developed into a permanent habitat for around 20 skylark territories – compared to only four territories before the project began.
In addition to the skylark, the solar park also serves as a feeding habitat for endangered species such as the wheatear, quail, black and whinchat, as well as various lizard species. An intensively used field has thus been transformed into a species-rich habitat.
Dr. Fabian Schmalz, Head of Environmental Planning at ENERPARC: “We are currently seeing demands in some German municipalities for ever larger compensation areas – often based on the assumption that solar parks harm skylarks. The data from Lauterbach clearly refutes this assumption: skylarks benefit when planning and maintenance are done right. It is precisely these kind of reliable results that states, municipalities, and authorities need for their decisions.”
Classic monitoring and AI-supported mapping combined
Even before the solar park was built, the company Plan Ö carried out the first mapping in 2018/2019. From 2022 onwards, the area was re-examined annually after completion of the construction work.
In addition, ENERPARC used two AI-supported biodiversity monitoring systems from the providers Hula Earth and AviCon for the first time in 2025 – both providers were also able to independently verify that the area has developed into an ecologically valuable habitat for the skylark and other characteristic species of the open landscape.
Acoustic sensors strategically placed throughout the facility continuously recorded background noise. With the help of AI-based evaluation and triangulation, bird species were identified, territory centers were precisely located, and activity zones within the facility were made visible.
The field trial is considered unique in Germany to date and sets new standards for nature conservation monitoring of solar parks – particularly with regard to verification, comparability, and long-term data collection.
With this pilot project, ENERPARC underscores its commitment to consistently combining innovation and nature conservation and to measurably advancing the ecological quality of solar parks.