As a result of the transition to renewable energy, the maintenance of American solar farms is becoming an increasingly large business. As a result, more and more people are starting to keep sheep in order to provide vegetation management services to solar farm operators. Recently, some surveys have been conducted that looked at the initial investment required to start a new business, as well as the expected income from grazing in the area of solar power plants.
In the first half of 2023, researchers from the University of Illinois conducted a study among members of the American Solar Grazers Association. According to the respondents, the most common initial investment was the purchase of sheep and a van to get started.
On average, livestock keepers grazed 125 sheep on 22 hectares, which required an average of 14.75 hours of field work, 8.17 hours of travel and 5.67 hours of administration per week. The survey also showed that 75% of those who contracted for solar grazing also undertook the full care of the vegetation, which meant the use of lawnmowers and edgers, since although the sheep graze large areas, their activities did not always meet the technical specifications of the owners of the solar farms.
Cornell University in New York has its own solar farms, and one of them, located in Aurora, is grazed by sheep. The task is performed by a Vermont-based agricultural business that specializes in this activity and provides services available in several states in the region.
In 2018, the university's researchers collected the costs and income data related to grazing, and then published them in a short publication.
The area is 22 acres (1 acre approx. 0.4 hectare) divided into 4 sections and grazed with 56 sheep from early May to November. This is approx. It means 6 sheep per hectare. The shepherd visited the area every 3 days and spent an average of 45 minutes there. During this, he took care of filling the water tank, checked the health of the animals, and moved them to the next section if they had already grazed in the previous area. Each area was rested for 18-48 days before being grazed again.
No health problems were reported during the 2018 season, the animals developed well and the feed was adequate for them. The wire fence protecting the solar panels provided adequate protection, so no dog or donkey was needed. The sheep carefully grazed their area, so there were no shade plants over the solar panels. The initial investments included the purchase of a water tank, a drinking well, a small pump and an electric generator.
During the 188-day grazing period, the flock had to be visited 63 times, which cost 47 working hours. Including travel, a total of 139 man-hours are required, at a rate of $15 an hour and 54 cents per mile for travel. There is also the cost of liability insurance of $1,500.
The total cost is $260 per month, while the provider billed $500 per month. As a result, the net profit was $240/month. On a per acre basis, that's $600, or $94 per sheep. In addition to their own data collection, the university's researchers also contacted farmers who graze solar parks, and 14 responses were received. Here, the monthly net income - depending on the region - varied between 244 and 509 dollars, which means 610-1270 dollars per hectare.
However, the mentioned calculations do not include the purchase cost of the sheep, nor the income from the sale. In the case of a shepherd, the main activity is shepherding itself, vegetation management is only a side business. In the case of a traditional pasture, the shepherd pays rent for the use of the land, while in a solar park it is the other way around: the owner pays for the grazing. If we add that grazing is cheaper than mechanical mowing, i.e. "organic mowing" is a beneficial solution for both parties, it is likely that we will see more and more sheep in solar parks in the future.
The German-based energy company Baywa takes care of a huge solar park in Texas with the help of hundreds of sheep, which results in significant savings every year.
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Source: electric cars. en