Heavy machinery is clearing a section of pine forest in Oregon for a utility-scale solar energy project. The project will see around 405,000 solar panels installed across 1,560 acres. Thousands of homes will benefit from the new clean power source.
Before this can happen, however, deer and elk have to be accommodated. The site lies across a vital migratory corridor, so planners came up with an unconventional compromise.
How is the demand for green energy being balanced with conservation?
How clean energy has reached the forests of Oregon
Klamath County, Oregon, is the new home of The Diamond Solar Energy Project. It is a significant expansion of energy infrastructure, operating from a site at the intersection of Highway 97 and Highway 138.
The photovoltaic facility delivers 200 megawatts to the local electrical grid through PacifiCorp’s lines and incorporates solar arrays with several battery storage units and an electrical substation.
The location is ideal for solar energy harvesting, and the site is surrounded by dense forest. This offers screening from view of the highways and other public areas, maintaining as much of the natural view as possible.
However, this land is essential winter range for mule deer and Rocky Mountain elk. The development of thousands of acres comes with risks of fragmenting the habitat, restricting access to foraging areas, and creating barriers for the movement of the herd.
The Diamond Solar Energy Project developers had to come up with solutions to the migration issues before state regulators and county officials granted land-use approval.
Accommodating large game movement through industrial infrastructure
Normally, a solar site would be enclosed by continuous perimeter fencing. This time, though, planners adjusted the layout of the arrays on the 1,560-acre site to allow big game to make their way safely through the facility. The final design sees a 600-foot-wide corridor incorporated into the grounds.
The passage is not fenced or paved, so the animals have a channel to reach their seasonal feeding areas without barriers. In addition, developers pledged to maintain vegetation buffers along the two highways to reduce visual disturbances. The solar panel mounting systems have been engineered at a lower profile than standard arrays, which minimizes the project’s footprint.
Just because animals have a route, it is not guaranteed that they will use it. There is still a chance that the wildlife will be intimidated by the industrial space. Herd animals are known to be wary of structural boundaries, artificial shadows, and operational noise, so the plan may still fail.
This uncertainty highlights the challenge of integrating large infrastructure projects into active ecosystems.
Tracking herds to measure conservation success
Wildlife researchers are monitoring herds with advanced GPS tracking collars to see if the 600-foot passage leaves enough space for the animals to pass comfortably. In addition to capturing real-time coordinates, the collars also have built-in cameras, so they record video footage and behavioral responses as the animals get close to the facility.
The continuous streams of data mean that biologists can evaluate whether the elk and deer are using the Klamath County corridors naturally. They hope to see no stress behavior or changes in the timing of traditional migrations.
It is not all good news yet: Bigger herds may need more space
Early findings from other projects indicate that while some herds are utilizing the wide passages, larger groups may require broader buffers or additional spatial adjustments to prevent displacement.
These field observations provide crucial empirical data for future energy planning across public and private timberlands. As utility-scale installations expand across the Western United States, integrating real-time telemetry into facility design helps developers balance renewable energy targets with wildlife preservation.
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