A subtle revolution is happening deep in Colombia.<\/p>\n
More than a quarter of a million solar panels at El Paso are quietly going about their job. But a secret process is unfolding underneath the arrays<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Prey species of wildlife are moving in, appreciating the “sanctuaries.”<\/p>\n But motion cameras recorded the remarkable moment one elusive predator<\/strong> decided to make the panels its home.<\/p>\n What rarely seen cat is covertly thriving inside Colombia’s largest solar farm?<\/p>\n Enel Green Power is the international energy powerhouse behind the El Paso Solar Park<\/strong> in Colombia\u2019s picturesque C\u00e9sar region. <\/p>\n It’s the first large-scale solar endeavor of its kind in the country. The solar farm leaves a massive footprint with 250,000 photovoltaic panels and supporting infrastructure. <\/p>\n Its installed capacity is 86.2 MW, supporting around 100,000 homes. This is an incredible figure for Colombia<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Yet, the El Paso farm has had an unexpected effect on wildlife. <\/p>\n The fencing off of the solar farm has created a secure perimeter. The land is undisturbed by hunting and deforestation<\/strong>, and animals were quick to take advantage. <\/p>\n Species that have never even seen such high-tech equipment before think it’s the perfect setup for living.<\/p>\n In fact, one of Earth’s most secretive and shy mammals was recorded moving in with her whole family<\/strong>.<\/p>\n What is it about an industrial power plant that could attract a creature<\/a> ordinarily so reclusive?<\/p>\n There’s so much more to El Paso Solar Park<\/strong> than glass and steel.<\/p>\n The facility has evolved into a thriving ecosystem under its strict Plan de Manejo Ambiental (Environmental Management Plan). The installation is now being used as a vital biological corridor and refuge<\/a>.<\/p>\n Biological monitoring has revealed a rich diversity of native fauna<\/strong>. One of them is the lesser anteater (tamand\u00faa). Its presence, captured through camera traps, is a great sign, proving that ideal levels of insects and vegetation are flourishing directly under the panels.<\/p>\n But the motion-activated cameras went on to deliver even bigger surprises, says Enel Colombia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers noticed a distinct shift brewing in the data. The predator-prey dynamics were shifting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A mystery mammal smaller than a jaguar but super protective was spotted prowling through the solar arrays in the darkness. <\/p>\n What kind of apex predator looks at a bunch of shiny, man-made PV panels and sees a perfect nursery<\/strong>?<\/p>\n After more intense monitoring of the camera footage, the mystery was solved. <\/p>\n A mother tigrillo (Leopardus tigrinus<\/em>, or oncilla, or northern tiger cat) was spotted moving her cubs into the fenced-off solar park. Foxes have been known to do the same.<\/a><\/p>\n The sight of the rare, elusive, and human-hunted<\/strong> native wild feline marked a historic milestone. She actually moved her family of vulnerable cubs (cr\u00edas) in instead of merely using the area to hunt as a lone wanderer.<\/p>\n The question is, why would such a threatened species known for hiding far from humanity choose an industrial site for a family home?<\/p>\n In the fenced-in confines of the solar farm, deforestation and hunting are no longer threats<\/strong>.<\/p>\n There’s also a thermal bonus.<\/a> The workings of the panels inadvertently provide shade under the blistering C\u00e9sar heat with a synthetic canopy.<\/p>\n They also act as shields from birds of prey<\/strong> above.<\/p>\n And finally, there are the hunting benefits. The rich vegetation under the panels<\/a> supports an abundance of small rodents, insects, and lizards. What more could a nursing mother tigrillo want?<\/p>\n The happy family proves a powerful point<\/strong>. With smart planning, clean power projects can actually reverse biodiversity loss<\/a>. <\/p>\n Is green energy going to end up being the driver of future wildlife conservation?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A subtle revolution is happening deep in Colombia. More than a quarter of a million solar panels at El Paso are quietly going about their job. But a secret process is unfolding underneath the arrays. Prey species of wildlife are moving in, appreciating the “sanctuaries.” But motion cameras recorded the remarkable moment one elusive predator … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"solar","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"A rare wild cat began appearing at this solar farm after dark, and cameras soon revealed it was bringing its entire family to take advantage of the facilities.","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoportal.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What set off a transformation in El Paso<\/h2>\n
The rewilding of an industrial energy park<\/h2>\n
An epic cat<\/em>alyst and a win for green-on-green strategies<\/h2>\n
Enel Green Power created a unique environment<\/h3>\n