Here at Tri-State Solar Sheep we work with solar companies, delivering sheep to the solar farm to graze for a portion of the year depending on where they’re located. Grazing sheep alongside solar operations offer benefits to both the land and animals. The sheep graze on weeds and grass, preventing vegetation from shading the solar panels or inhibiting their movement and reducing the need for manual landscaping (like mowing and pesticide use).
In turn, the land is a food source for the sheep, and the solar panels offer shelter from rain, wind, and direct sun. Using sheep to graze on solar sites is gaining popularity as a successful and cost-effective strategy for vegetation control. It is less labor intensive than traditional landscaping and improves the quality of the land by cycling nutrients back into the soil, minimizing erosion and encouraging native plant growth. Sheep can easily maneuver around and beneath the solar panels, grazing all parts of the land, eating grass, legumes, brush, and weeds.