Solar farms are booming in the US and putting thousands of hungry sheep to work

3 weeks ago 8

Author of the article:

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Nadia Lathan

Published Jan 19, 2025  •  3 infinitesimal read

BUCKHOLTS, Texas (AP) — On agrarian Texas farmland, beneath hundreds of rows of star panels, a unit of stocky sheep rummage done pasture, casually bumping into 1 different arsenic they stay committed to a azygous task: chewing grass.

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The booming star manufacture has recovered an improbable mascot successful sheep arsenic large-scale star farms harvest up crossed the U.S. and successful the plain fields of Texas. In Milam County, extracurricular Austin, SB Energy operates the fifth-largest star task successful the country, susceptible of generating 900 megawatts of powerfulness crossed 4,000 acres (1,618 hectares).

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How bash they negociate each that grass? With the assistance of astir 3,000 sheep, which are amended suited than lawnmowers to acceptable betwixt tiny crevices and chew distant rainfall oregon shine.

The proliferation of sheep connected star farms is portion of a broader inclination — star grazing — that has exploded alongside the star industry.

Agrivoltaics, a method utilizing onshore for some star vigor accumulation and agriculture, is connected the emergence with much than 60 star grazing projects successful the U.S., according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The American Solar Grazing Association says 27 states prosecute successful the practice.

“The manufacture tends to trust connected gas-powered mowers, which benignant of contradicts the intent of renewables,” SB Energy plus manager James Hawkins said.

A sunny opportunity

Putting the animals to enactment connected star fields besides provides immoderate assistance to the sheep and wool market, which has struggled successful caller years. The inventory of sheep and lamb successful Texas fell to 655,000 successful January 2024, a 4% driblet from the erstwhile year, according to the astir caller figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Because star fields usage sunny, level onshore that is often perfect for livestock grazing, the powerfulness plants person been utilized successful coordination with farmers alternatively than against them.

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Sheepherder JR Howard accidentally recovered himself successful the mediate of Texas’ burgeoning cleanable vigor transition. In 2021, helium and his household began contracting with star farms — sites with hundreds of thousands of star modules — to usage his sheep to devour the grass.

What was erstwhile a tiny concern has turned into a full-scale cognition with much than 8,000 sheep and 26 employees.

“Just the maturation has been benignant of brainsick for us,” said Howard, who named his institution Texas Solar Sheep. “It’s been large for maine and my family.”

Following the herd

Some agriculture experts accidental Howard’s occurrence reflects however star farms person go a boon for immoderate ranchers.

Reid Redden, a sheep husbandman and star vegetation manager successful San Angelo, Texas, said a palmy sheep concern requires cultivation onshore that has go progressively scarce.

“Solar grazing is astir apt the biggest accidental that the sheep manufacture had successful the United States successful respective generations,” Redden said.

The effect to star grazing has been overwhelmingly affirmative successful agrarian communities adjacent South Texas star farms wherever Redden raises sheep for sites to use, helium said.

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“I deliberation it softens the stroke of the large daze and awe of a large star workplace coming in,” Redden said.

Fielding much research

Agrivoltaics itself isn’t new. Solar farms are land-intensive and necessitate a batch of abstraction that could beryllium utilized for nutrient production. Agrivoltaics compensates by allowing the 2 to coexist, whether increasing nutrient oregon caring for livestock.

There is simply a batch inactive chartless astir the afloat effects of star grazing, said Nuria Gomez-Casanovas, an adjunct prof successful regenerative strategy ecology astatine Texas A&M University.

Not capable studies person been done to cognize the semipermanent biology impacts, specified arsenic however viable the ungraded volition beryllium for aboriginal agriculture, though Gomez-Casanovas suspects star grazing whitethorn amended sheep productivity due to the fact that the panels supply shadiness and tin beryllium much cost-efficient than mowing.

“We truly person much questions than answers,” Gomez-Casanovas said. “There are studies that amusement that the onshore productivity is not higher versus star unsocial oregon agriculture alone, truthful it’s context-dependent.”

As 1 of Texas’ largest star sheep operators, Howard has much clients than helium tin handle. He expects to adhd astir 20 much employees by the extremity of this year, which would astir treble his existent workforce. As for the sheep, helium has capable already.

___

Lathan is simply a corps subordinate for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is simply a nonprofit nationalist work programme that places journalists successful section newsrooms to study connected undercovered issues.

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