Nature’s best lawnmower: How solar grazing is changing the photovoltaic landscape

Joanna Bailey
·6 min read
Nature’s best lawnmower: How solar grazing is changing the photovoltaic landscape

America’s booming solar industry has found an unlikely hero in its quest to green up its power supply - the humble sheep.

Grazing sheep under the panels of huge solar farms is proving to have multiple benefits. As well as maintaining the ground, it improves soil quality, reduces flooding, and makes the sheep happier and healthier.

The sheep population in the US has been in decline, with a headcount currently of around five million, compared to a high of 50 million in 1947. The mutton industry is struggling, and around two-thirds of the country’s lamb is imported.

As such, anything that bolsters the sheep industry is warmly welcomed by US farmers. The fact that it helps with green energy production is the cherry on top.

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Sheepherder JR Howard has been one of the beneficiaries of this new movement, as he explained to the Independent this week. In 2021, he began working with solar farms to use his sheep to keep down the grass.

This small endeavour has boomed, growing into a major operation with 8,000 sheep and two dozen employees. He has more clients than he can manage and expects to add another 20 employees by the end of this year.

“Just the growth has been kind of crazy for us,” said Howard, who named his company Texas Solar Sheep. “It’s been great for me and my family.”

Known as ‘agrivoltaics,’ we’re just beginning to realise the benefits of making good use of the ground underneath solar arrays. As well as sheep, agrivoltaics can involve crops, other livestock or even bees.

“Agrivoltaics has enormous potential to solve our climate and energy problems simultaneously,” says Joshua Pearce, professor at Western University. “It not only produces clean energy but also enhances agricultural output, yielding more produce than traditional farming methods.”

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What is solar grazing?

Quite simply, solar grazing is the practice of putting grazing animals in the same field as a solar array. Sheep are the most common animals used for this, although other livestock have been used in some installations.

When solar arrays are installed, it is beneficial to have grassland underneath. Vegetation prevents stormwater runoff and corrosion from polluting the water supply, but it also needs to be controlled.

Tall vegetation could begin shading the panels, making them inefficient. But more of a concern is the potential fire hazard presented by hectares of dry grass.

Solar farm owners have traditionally coped with this by mowing the area regularly, but it’s not easy to navigate a mower around the poles and panels.

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But sheep are much better natural lawnmowers, able to fit into small crevices and nibble away no matter what the weather.

The American Solar Grazing Association estimates that around 80,000 sheep now graze more than 40,000 hectares across 500 solar panel sites in 27 states. This number indicates a tenfold increase in just two years.

There are many examples of solar grazing in Europe

While the USA might be heralding the advent of a new era in farming, here in Europe, we’ve been doing it for some time.

In 2023, Iberdrola announced it was installing a herd of 300 sheep in its photovoltaic parks in Portugal.

“It is positive for the solar farm, as it ensures the ecological maintenance of the land and reduces the risk of fires,” says Iberdrola. “It also benefits the animals who, in addition to access to food, find protection from the sun, rain and wind in the solar panels.”

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In the UK, a 1GW project in Nottinghamshire will share its 1,600 hectares with a flock of 4,000 sheep. That number is expected to climb to 9,000 once lambing begins, and is expected to save the project £5 million (€5.9 million) in mowing costs across its 40-year lifespan.

Since 2016, Enel Power has been using sheep to maintain vegetation at its solar arrays in Greece. And since 2015, the solar farm at Saint-Amadou, in the Occitanie region of France, has been home to hundreds of sheep.

Sheep and solar panels: A symbiotic relationship

According to Tony Inder, a farmer in New South Wales, Australia, grazing sheep under solar panels is not only good for the solar farm - it’s good for the sheep as well.

Speaking to the Guardian, he said that since the installation of the solar farm on his property, wool production from the sheep grazing beneath had increased by 15 per cent.

Research published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science in 2022 found that sheep with access to solar panels spend more time grazing than those without. Researchers believe that part of the reason is that the panels provide sheep with shade.

In a separate report in 2018, it was found that the shelter of the panels also increases soil moisture. Condensation and rain runoff add to this, creating better forage with high protein content.

As the sheep move around the field, they trample old plant matter into the soil, fertilising and rejuvenating the earth. As well as bolstering the quality of forage, this has been shown to improve the soil health long term, increasing carbon storage and nutrients.

SolarPower Europe found that grazed soils under solar panels stored up to 80 per cent more carbon. Water retention is boosted by 20 to 30 per cent, and the company identified a 60 per cent increase in pollinator presence.

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Solar grazing makes for a ‘triple win’ for farmers

Worldwide, farmers are struggling to make ends meet due to a combination of climate change, rising costs and volatile markets for their products. Branching out into solar grazing can create wins on multiple fronts.

First, there's the contract with the solar farm provider themselves. The amount they could earn from this will depend on the location and size of the plot they are leasing.

But rather than close the field off and have nothing else to do with it, farmers have an opportunity to grasp a new revenue stream through solar grazing.

This earns them revenue through ‘renting’ out the sheep and provides employment for sheepherders. Research by Cornell University suggested a farmer could earn $300 - $500 (€288 - €480) per acre (0.4 hectares) per year for sheep-powered vegetation management.

As studies have indicated, solar-fed sheep are often healthier and better producing, leading to more meat and wool to be sold by the farm.

“Ultimately, a farmer’s biggest concern is the productivity of their land,” says Lightsource BP. “Research from the US has suggested that agrivoltaics can significantly boost crop growth and improve the wellbeing of livestock.”

Both the solar farm and the sheep can be happier together.
Both the solar farm and the sheep can be happier together. - Ashley Landis/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved

Joshua Pearce’s recent study into the revenue potential for solar grazing found that these business models have the potential for “massive profit.”

“Given these results, all existing solar farms should have sheep working on them to cut the grass,” says Pearce. “This approach would increase local sheep production while lowering consumer costs.”

However, he also warns that there are complications to consider, such as drinking water for the sheep. Profits can quickly disappear if sheep are attacked by predators or succumb to a parasite or disease, and the grazing must be managed with movable fences to effectively control vegetation.

Nevertheless, the potential for solar grazing to contribute substantially to carbon reduction efforts is clear. Pearce says experiments are underway with everything from rabbits to pigs, and notes that agrivoltaics “works for many other crops than grass, such as broccoli, corn, lettuce, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and even wheat.”

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