The booming solar industry has found an unlikely mascot in sheep as large-scale solar farms crop up across the U.S. and in the plain fields of Texas. In Milam County, outside Austin, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest solar project in the country, capable of generating 900 megawatts of power across 4,000 acres (1,618 hectares).
How do they manage all that grass? With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine.
The proliferation of sheep on solar farms is part of a broader trend — solar grazing — that has exploded alongside the solar industry.
With the help of about 3,000 sheep, which are better suited than lawnmowers to fit between small crevices and chew away rain or shine.
“The industry tends to rely on gas-powered mowers, which kind of contradicts the purpose of renewables,” SB Energy asset manager James Hawkins said.
I wonder how the carbon footprint of the sheep compare to that of the lawnmowers. My guess is that it would be smaller. The sheep are also powered by renewable (grass) energy, and are a source of milk, meat, and wool, which lawnmowers are not.
This is definitely one of the cutest stories I’ve seen in this community so far.
The methane they create is a greenhouse gas, but relatively short lived compared to the CO2 from lawnmowers
Electric mowers are good and common now. There are even solid robotic ones.
You could solve this with machines and just electricity, but sheep seem smarter.
If those electric mowers refueled as they mowed then we’d really have something.
The electric robot ones basically do, in the sense that they go and charge when needed and then return to cutting the area until it’s done.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to simply not plant any grass? Lay down a heavy layer of gravel and call it a day.
Cheaper, maybe, but gravel is a bit shit for biodiversity and flood mitigation.
That only helps for a while and is quite expensive at utility scale installations. In addition, there are studies that vegetation helps keeping the underside of the solar panels cooler and thus increases the efficiency by a small percentage.
I wouldn’t think so. Rock is expensive and would only last so long. Grass helps sustain an ecosystem while preventing erosion.
