Energy giant makes massive land donation after completing its largest solar project yet — here's how it will help Texas residents

Renewable energy supplier Ørsted is doing more than just supplying the nation with clean power. It's also restoring fragile ecosystems. 

Per reports by Electrek, the North American energy company has donated 953 acres of the Smiley-Woodfin Native Prairie Grassland. The donated land is located next to Ørsted's largest solar project globally: the Mockingbird Solar Center.

Thanks to its 468-megawatt solar farm, the Mockingbird Solar Center will power 80,000 homes and businesses. 

"Beyond generating electricity, it will inject $75 million into local property taxes, benefiting schools and other public services," wrote Michelle Lewis from Electrek. "The project also created over 550 construction jobs and will continue to be supported by operations staff moving forward."

However, while the new, massive solar center will support Texas' grid, it's also protecting a vital ecosystem right next door. 

As a result of the company's donation, the land is now a protected area home to more than 400 species of grasses and wildflowers. Known as the Smiley Meadow Preserve, the area now safeguards one of the rarest ecosystems in the U.S.

"Native prairies are the rarest landscapes left in Texas – so much so that many people have never seen one," David Bezanson, land protection strategy program director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, told Electrek.

According to reports by Electrek, less than 1% of Texas' original tallgrass prairies still exist today. However, tallgrass prairies are essential for promoting the health of the environment. They not only provide key habitats for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies but also prevent floods and store carbon. As a result, they help protect our food supply while keeping the planet cool.

Restoring this tallgrass prairie will have a widespread impact, according to Bezanson. By creating the Smiley Meadow Preserve, Ørsted is boosting regional biodiversity and promoting the health of nearby prairies.

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